Thrown Together by Fire and Fate
by WandaXmaximoff
Summary: STORY IN HIATUS:Assistant film producer, Wanda Ravenmoon works on a deal with the WWE, during her meetings with them she meets Dave Batista, both are obviously attracted to each other, but will it lead anywhere.
1. Just another normal Friday

**Thrown Together by Fire And Fate**

**Summery:** Assistant film producer, Wanda Ravenmoon works on a deal with the WWE, during her meetings with them she meets Dave Batista, both are obviously attracted to each other, but will it lead anywhere. Wanda also has to contend with an of the rails cousin and haunting ghosts from her past. When strange circumstances force Wanda out of her apartment, will they also lead her into the arms of Dave Batista .

**Author's Notes**: I'm not really running on any actual WWE time-lines here, I'm just putting people together and creating events to fit my story, so don't kill me.I'm trying to keep to WWE characters as best as I can, but as I don't know these people please forgive any inaccuracies. All reviews and comments are welcome, but please don't slate my story just because you don't like it, I'd prefer any criticism to be constructive.

Special thanks go to Lisa and Rachel for their help checking the fic through first, without their help it'd never be on here. Cheers gals you're stars. :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the WWE or any of it's characters so please don't sue. The O/C's and story are all my own work (with a little help on one) so I'm sorry if my O/C's or story is similar to anyone else's, its pure accident.

**Chapter One:-** Just another normal Friday

Wanda's alarm sounded, it was 6.30 am. Time to get up and get ready for work.

Wanda had worked for a local film production company since graduating from a University in London, England with a first in Media and film production. That was six years ago now. The company was run by a jolly but slightly overworked balding French -American named Mr. Rodriguez.

Wanda shouted to wake her cousin too.

"Emily? Emily, have you got class today?"

"Yeah, but I'm not going, I'm sick." Came the reply, in an English accent.

"Hung over more like. All right, you can stop here."

Emily had lived with Wanda for four years. After finishing college Wanda's aunt and uncle had sent Emily over to New Orleans to University. They hoped living with her cousin would give Emily more independence and teach her to grow up a little. But it hadn't, with the freedom of not having her strict parents around Emily had begun to rebel.

The day was meant to be just like any other day at work, but it wasn't. When Wanda arrived at the office Mr Rodriguez wanted to speak to her immediately about an important meeting with the WWE.

"Wanda, do you remember I have a meeting this afternoon, with Shane McMahon?"

Wanda nodded.

"Well, it's a really important meeting, We're to discuss producing the movies they want to make. The thing is though, I totally forgot that it's Mikhile's sports day today and he'll be so annoyed if I'm not there. I can't afford to let this deal slip away, especially after Shane McMahon offered me three tickets to a WWE show this Monday."

"So, you want me to go to the meeting and present the portfolio instead?"

"But there's one other thing.The WWE show on Monday, Mikhile really wants to go.The wife and I hate it though, so I was hoping you would take him."

Wanda didn't mind having to take Mikhile to the wrestling although she had no interest in it herself, but it was sure to impress Mr Rodriguez plus it was bound to secure the film deal, which would boost her position. Then Wanda remembered it wasn't just the show but the meeting with Mr McMahon too. Although Wanda didn't know a lot about wrestling, she knew how powerful the McMahon family were, especially the WWE owner himself Vince McMahon.

Guessing his son would be little different Wanda started to feel extremely nervous about her meeting with Shane McMahon. But Wanda knew if she pulled this off this afternoon she's be well on her way to the promotion Mr Rodriguez had promised. The meeting was scheduled for 3pm at the Prytana Park hotel, not far from the garden district where she lived.

Dressed in her best professional suit, with a low cut top underneath (just to show her femininity) Wanda was ready to go. She arrived at the hotel 10 minutes early to find a table had been booked in Shane McMahon's name.The hostess showed her to a table. Sitting there was a dark haired man in his early thirties, dressed in an Armani suit. Wanda guessed it was Shane.

"Good afternoon, Mr McMahon, I'm Wanda Ravenmoon, I've been sent by..."

Before she could finish Shane McMahon Interrupted, "Good afternoon Ms Ravenmoon, yes I know who you are, Mr Rodriguez faxed me not long ago, explaining how he was unable to attend the meeting, but was sending his executive assistant in his place."

Wanda let out a sigh of relief.

"So, Ms Ravenmoon, if you wouldn't mind taking a seat, I'd love to hear your proposal. By the way would you like a drink?"

Wanda ordered a still mineral water.Her nerves had almost melted away now. Even though Shane was a professional he was also very relaxed and easy to connect with.

As her drink arrived Wanda pulled a black leather folder and mobile phone from her brief case. She placed the folder in front of her and the mobile phone on the edge of the table then took a sip of her water. Looking directly at Shane McMahon Wanda began to explain her ideas for Mr Rodriguez's company to produce the planned WWE movies, high lighting projected costs, plot synopsis and a working time frame.Wanda explained about the team of fully qualified camera men, directors, editors and sound men that would be avaliable for the WWE to use. The meeting went well and Shane seemed very enthusiastic with the ideas.

"Well, Ms Ravenmoon, these ideas seem fantastic, I'm sure my father will be very pleased by them, and for your company to produce the planned WWE movies would be excellent. I'm sure you'll get a chance to speak with him yourself soon enough though, Mr Rodriguez also informed me about his inability to come to our 'Raw' show on Monday evening.Mr Rodriguez also told me his son still wanted to go you'd be taking him instead. So as a trinket of the WWE's interest in your company I'd like to offer you these tickets for the executive box and backstage passes. I'm sure Mr Rodriguez would love it for his son to meet some of the wrestler's and it'll give you the chance to meet with Mr McMahon and the other WWE executives."

Wanda was amazed by how well the meeting had gone.now she had been given the chance to impress Mr Rodriguez and meet the owner of the WWE to secure the deal.

"Thank you, Mr McMahon, Mr Rodriguez will be delighted you approve of the proposal and that you're giving his son the chance to meet some of your big name wrestlers"

"And thank you Ms Ravenmoon, for your time. I look forward to seeing you at 'Raw' on Monday. I'll fax you all the details later."

Shane McMahon extended his hand for Wanda to shake, She shook it then put the folder back in her brief case. Then she left.. When Wanda reached the car she realise she's forgotten her phone.

She returned to the hotel, hoping Shane McMahon would still be there. He was indeed still there when Wanda returned, seated in exactly the same place but seated opposite him now was another man. He was tall, tanned, with black curly-ish hair,wearing an earring. Wanda assumed he was a wrestler. She approached the table and Shane gave her a small nod acknowledging her. The other man turned to see who had interrupted their conversation. He caught Wanda's eyes immediately as his own eyes were such a lovely deep brown. He had chiselled good looks that didn't look entirely American and a small goatee beard.

"Ever so sorry to interrupt you Mr McMahon, but I forgot my mobile."

The other man handed it to her and as their hands touched they held each others gaze for a few seconds. Wanda thought for a wrestler he had very soft hands.Wanda returned to her car. At the hotel the conversation continued.

"Don't tell me she was another diva applicant? She was cute and all, but do we really need another?"

"No, Dave, she isn't a wrestler. That was Wanda Ravenmoon, an executive from a film company, we were discussing a deal before my meeting with you."

During the whole car journey back to work Wanda could think of nothing but the dark haired stranger who'd handed her the phone. She thought if all wrestler's were this good looking maybe 'Raw' wouldn't be so bad.

Mr Rodriguez was ecstatic when Wanda returned giving him the details of the meeting. He was especially pleased that Michele would also get to meet the wrestler's. Mr Rodriguez had every confidence Wanda could handle Vince McMahon on her own and seal the deal. It soon turned 6pm and Wanda was on her way home, ready for the weekend, her thoughts still on the handsome stranger she'd met earlier.


	2. Strange happenings

**Author's notes**: Originally Chapter 2 was me addressing the reviews I'd received, but, as pointed out by **Disco Inferno1**, I'd get in trouble for an author's notes chapter. (Thanks for that, by the way.) So seeing as most people have read it anyway, I've removed it. Never the less, the constructive points have been taken into account and I hope improvements have been made. I'd like to thank Disco Inferno1, coors1977, lil-fairy-princess, Mortica Adams and Polythenegirl21 for all your positive comments and I hope as this story progresses you'll continue to enjoy it. Anyway, I think I've said all I need to, so enjoy...

**Chapter Two**: Strange happenings.

Wanda now had two days to herself before work started again. Like most weekends, she had nothing eventful planned, just chilling out, but her cousin Emily had different ideas. Like most weekends, Wanda had gotten up around 9 and had breakfast whilst looking through the weekend newspapers. Around 11:30, a very tired and hung over Emily got up.

"Do you do anything but party these days, Em?"

"Who are you? Mom or something?" snapped Emily

"Listen, I'm not meaning to go all parental on you or anything, but you rarely go to class and you never go out unless it's to some bar. How about you come with me Monday night to this wrestling show?"

"Hummm, maybe, but I've got nothing to wear," complained Emily, hoping for some new clothes.

"Alright, your parents sent me some money over yesterday, so I guess a trip to the mall would be alright. Can you be ready to go in about an hour?"

Emily said she'd try and hurried off to shower and get ready. By 1 p.m., they were heading for the mall.

Since moving to New Orleans and starting at Tulane University, Emily had changed a lot from the once well-spoken ,slightly preppy English girl she'd been. Still speaking with a recognizable English accent, Emily appeared very different; her tweed skirts and baby pink sweaters had been replaced with tartan mini skirt, stripy socks and a pair of 'Cons' sneakers. Walking around the mall, Emily decided she wanted to have something done with her long blonde hair.

"I was thinking about going to the salon."

"What did you have in mind,Em?"

"I'm not totally sure, I just know I'm sick of this," she said pulling at her own hair.

"Well, you go to the salon and I'll carry on walking about. Meet here in about an hour say?"

Then they parted company. Wanda too decided she wanted something to wear on Monday, but was totally unsure what. She wanted to look good in case she ran into that guy who'd been speaking to Shane McMahon yesterday, but at the same time still wanted to look professional as she'd be meeting Vince McMahon. Then a knee length black leather skirt caught her eye, which had 2 slits that looked as though they went up to the thigh. She knew it would be totally inappropriate to wear on Monday, but since she thought it would go perfectly with her deep purple lace top, she decided to buy it anyway. Wanda also bought herself a new opal and onyx ring that matched her cross necklace and a hair band. Still having found nothing for 'Raw,' Wanda realized she had to find Emily in 5 minutes, so she headed back to the salon. When Emily came out of the salon, Wanda got the shock of her life. Emily's waist length hair was now layered and came to just above the shoulders and she'd had magenta streaks dyed into it.

"Oh my god, what do you look like ?"

"Well, I think it's cool."

Wanda had to agree, it was pretty funky. Emily had also bought a lot of punky jewelry, like star bracelets and those annoying rubber bangles. She claimed they were accessories to go with her new "Punky Fish" mini dress she'd bought. It was baby pink and black and barely covered her thighs, with a halter neck top. Not to Wanda's taste but nice enough. Wanda felt a little dejected she had nothing new for Monday but they returned home. For once, Emily decided to stay in on a Saturday, admitting she had fallen a little behind with her University work and decided to catch up on it. Typically of a Saturday evening, Wanda took her pet poodle 'Poochie' for a walk in the park.

Whilst walking around the park, Wanda had the feeling she was being watched. At least twice, she swore she'd heard rustling in the bushes, but, when she'd turned to see who was there, she found nothing. Wanda attributed it to tiredness and an over active imagination and returned home, still feeling a little shaken. When Wanda returned home, Emily was hard at work, so she decided to prepare part of the portfolio for Monday to show to Vince McMahon. Thinking of Monday brought a flutter to her stomach with the hope she'd run into that dark-haired hottie she saw with Shane McMahon yesterday. She could hardly concentrate on work, so decided to have a sort through her wardrobe. Everything, apart from the new stuff she'd bought today, was so formal. She wanted to look professional, but not too uptight at the same time,just in case she ran into the guy she'd met yesterday. At a total loss of ideas, she called Emily in for advice. Emily managed to pick out a hideous leopard print dress Wanda totally forgot she even owned.

"Em, I know I'm no where near as cool as you, but you've gotta be kidding me with this?"

Emily gave her a cheeky look as if to say ' You're cool, come off it..' So Wanda threw a pillow at her.

"You cow, for that I'm not going to take you to 'Raw' with me now."

"As if I wanted to come and watch a load of sweaty men rolling around in spandex pants any way."

"Your loss, some of them are quite hot," Wanda said with a raise of her eye brow, remembering 'Mr. Baby-soft-hands.'

"You never told me hot guys were involved. I'm in."

And with that Emily flounced back into her room. Alone once more, Wanda pored through her wardrobe again. Suddenly the phone rang. Not expecting any calls, Wanda answered a little apprehensively .

But when she picked up, it was dead. The same thing happened another five times that night and it unsettled Wanda so much she disconnected her phone.

Sunday was a typically boring end to the week. Wanda's parents called and spent most of the call checking to make sure Wanda was keeping an eye on Emily. Wanda did manage how ever to get every thing prepared for 'Raw' and even managed to pick out something to wear--a black cord suit with a fuchsia silk shirt. With an uneventful weekend and the prospect of 'Raw' tomorrow night, Wanda was looking forward to being back at work.


	3. Monday night 'Raw'

**Author's notes: **Glad to see everyone is enjoying the story so far. Thanks for the great reviews.

**Disco Inferno1, **yes, there is a lot more to come from Emily, but I'll keep you guessing as to what. Glad you like Wanda, it was never really my intent to keep her so low key, but it's working well, but let's just say she's a little different when she loosens up. **"As if I wanted to come and watch a load of sweaty men rolling around in spandex pants any way."** I know any woman in her right mind would love to see a WWE show but I wanted to get 2 points across: a) Neither Wanda or Emily know much about wrestling:b) Emily has a habit of being a little spoilt. So I hope that line got those points across. Glad the phone calls and incident in the park have got you interested, there's more to come on that too. Again thanks for your review and all your help.

**AJ, **the **"Mr.Baby-soft-hands"** comment came about because, in chapter one, I noted Batista's hands were soft and my friend, **Polythenegirl21, **found this highly amusing and was ribbing me about it all night on M.S.N, so I thought I'd add it as a little in joke. I have a few more things like that planned later on from things I've noticed in the WWE that have amused me. Glad you like it so far and I hope you continue to read.

**Mystic-FairyQueen, **thanks for reviewing, glad you're enjoying it, and thanks for the comment that I seem to be a natural at it .It means a lot after the bad comments I got for the first chapter.

**shady-angel821, **thanks for the review. I hope when Wanda and Batista meet again, it won't disappoint.

Also, I'm not going by any T.V cannon's here. Sorry about the over description of wrestlers etc, it was meant to highlight the fact Wanda and Emily have never seen wrestling before.

**Chapter Three: **Monday night "Raw".

After a pretty boring weekend, it was Monday again and Wanda was back in the office.On arriving there,Wanda received the 3 tickets, along with backstage passes for 'Raw', Shane McMahon had promised her. Originally the tickets were meant for Mr Rodriguez, his wife and their son, but as Mr and Mrs Rodriguez couldn't attend, Wanda had agreed to take Mikhile and Mr Rodriguez had agreed she could have the spare ticket for a guest. So Wanda had invited her cousin Emily. For most of the morning, Wanda finished off the paper work for the WWE deal and prepared the contracts for Vince McMahon to sign later that day. Apart from that, she made and took calls to and from contacts over seas. To her delight, Wanda was given the afternoon off to get ready for tonight under the condition she take Mikhile out for dinner before they went to 'Raw'. Before leaving the office Wanda called Emily to check what time she finished university that afternoon.Then she returned home to get ready herself. Back at Wanda's apartment, every thing was pretty much the same as when she left that morning, apart from the mess left by hurricane Emily. However 'Poochie' was going mental and Wanda had never seen him like this before.He kept yapping about and jumping up at the window. Wanda suspected it was because of her neighbour, Mrs Walker's cat. When Wanda was almost ready to leave, Emily returned from university.

"Hey Em, good day?"

"Not really, I got in trouble because an assignment was late."

"Oh well, at least you have this wrestling show to look forward to. How long will it take you to get ready? 'Cos I have to collect Mikhile soon."

"Mikhile? Why have you gotta collect that brat so early?"

"Please don't call him a brat. He IS my boss' son. Mr Rodriguez was kind enough to give me the afternoon off as long as I took Mikhile for dinner. You're welcome to join us."

"Nah, I'll pass thanks, can't stand that kid."

Then Wanda left, agreeing she'd collect Emily at 6 o'clock, which gave them plenty of time to get to the arena for 'Raw' for a 7 o'clock start. On collecting Mikhile, he insisted they have burgers for dinner, much to Wanda's dislike as she was a vegetarian. During dinner, all Mikhile would talk about was the wrestling, and how 'so-and-so' sucked, or how he hoped he's get to meet 'so-and-so'. Wanda tried to act as interested as possible. She could tell he was a huge wrestling fan, especially since he wore a shirt bearing a picture of some gothic looking guy called 'The Undertaker'. They then went to collect Emily. By the look of the state of her room, Emily had changed her outfit at least 4 times, finally settling on some jeans Wanda thought were far too baggy and a baby pink 'Hello Kitty' mini tee. 'Poochie' was still acting oddly since, at this time, he was usually curled up asleep in Wanda's closet. He was however still jumping around the place like a nutter. When they got to the arena, Wanda produced the tickets sent by Shane. Two official men in smart black suits whisked them through heavy black doors marked 'STAFF ONLY'. They were lead up staircase and down a corridor to a door marked 'BOX 1'. The first man checked their names off a list and then spoke.

"Here you are, Ms Ravenmoon. Feel free to go down the staircase to your left for the concessions area. Just remember to take your ticket so we can escort you back up. I'm sure Mr McMahon will be in shortly to see you."

Then the 2 men left. Mikhile was desperate to visit the concessions stands, claiming all the good stuff would be gone soon. Wanda agreed as long as Emily went with him, secretly hoping she'd be able to speak with Vince alone. Then Wanda entered "BOX 1" and saw before her a huge room with a glass wall that overlooked the ring and already packed arena. In the middle of the room was a massive black leather couch and, in front of that, a coffee table. The table was laid with fresh fruit, vegetables and fresh dips. Next to the door was an intercom. At either side of the glass wall, in the corners, were 2 huge speakers through which Wanda could hear the excited crowd and the warm up music, which Wanda recognized as "Blink 182". Wanda then noticed a large plasma screen television on the other wall. She turned it on to see a close up shot of the empty ring. Wanda was just getting settled and had helped herself to a nectarine when the door opened. She turned, expecting to find Emily and Mikhile had returned. Instead she saw a man in his mid 50's, with grey hair, dressed in a very smart and expansive suit. Wanda immediately recognized him as Vince McMahon. She was suddenly feeling very nervous and had begun to sweat.

"Good evening, Ms Ravenmoon. Pleased to meet you." Vince said.

By this time Wanda had approached him and extended a sweaty hand for him to shake.

"Very pleased to meet you, Mr McMahon. Thank you very much for these V.I.P tickets. Mr Rodriguez was delighted you've given his son a chance to meet some of his idols and pleased that you've agreed to his company producing your planned movies. I am personally delighted you had the faith to meet with Mr Rodriguez's assistant in his absence."

"Ms Ravenmoon, your talent is noticeable in your work. Your meeting with Shane on Friday and the way you presented the proposal to him reassured me that this will be an excellent business venture for all involved."

They then went over the proposal briefly and Vince signed the contract.

"It has been a pleasure doing business with you, Ms Ravenmoon. I shall fax over the legalities tomorrow so that we can get under way with post production. I'd like it if we could talk again after the show so you'll have a chance to meet with the wrestlers and so that my daughter and son-in-law can speak with you. I know they've both been very keen on meeting you. Please feel free to use the intercom to order refreshments. I hope you enjoy the show."

With that, Vince left and, moments later Mikhile and Emily returned. Mikhile's arms were loaded with posters,T-Shirts, hats and pretty much everything else wrestling related. Wanda also noticed Emily had a poster of her own rolled up.

"You were right about there being hot guys, Wanda. Check him out."

Emily exclaimed unrolling a poster of a muscular, brown haired, baby-faced guy named Randy Orton. Mikhile then insisted that Wanda should see all his merchandise too. Looking through the different things, Wanda recognized 'The Rock", 'The Undertaker' and even 'Triple H'. Then she noticed a poster of someone called 'The Animal' Batista, Wanda recognized him as the man she'd seen speaking with Shane on Friday.

"So, who's this guy?"

"Oh, that's Batista, he's World Heavyweight Champion. Isn't he great? I hope we get to meet him." gushed Mikhile.

Wanda silently agreed as she was very intrigued. He was nicknamed 'The Animal' and was World Heavyweight Champion. With a body like his, Wanda could easily see why. All of a sudden the music changed and it was announced that 'Sunday Night Heat" was about to start.

"Sunday night? Are they dumb or summat? It's Monday." piped Emily, trying to sound smart.

"Heat, is actually filmed a week in advance, before 'Raw'." corrected Mikhile, wiping the smirk off Emily's face.

The crowd cheered and booed as a man announced as Jonathan Coachman made his way down the ramp to the commentators table. Then a man announced as Todd Grisham walked down to take his seat next to the 'Coach'.

"Welcome, everyone, we're just one week after 'Bad Blood' where Batista successfully defended his heavyweight title against Edge,"coach said in opening.

"Yes, and we have an awesome show for you tonight with the main event of 'The Hurricane' taking on 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair."Todd added.

"But first up, we've got Tajiri going one-one-one with Steven Richards." Coach said to announce the beginning match.

Some oriental sounding music played and a short Japanese man made his way to the ring.

"That's Tajiri," enthused Mikhile.

Then Steven Richards made his way to the ring and the match was under way. Emily seemed totally bored by it, but Wanda seemed quite amused, especially when Tajiri spat some sort of green liquid in Richards' face. That match was followed by a tagteam match between Mark Henry and Val Venis versus Simon Dean and Chris Masters. Next there was a woman's match where 2 women named Candice and Maria ran about slapping each other and screaming. Wanda wasn't impressed. Over all, for someone who'd never seen much wrestling before, Wanda quite liked it and every little detail was explained by Mikhile. Then a song that sounded like the space launch music played and an old looking guy, with white blonde hair and announced as Ric Flair, came out. He was wearing a black robe, covered in silver sequins that, said 'The Nature Boy' on the back. He strutted around on the top stage for a bit before making his way down the ramp to the ring. He was followed by an odd superhero(-)looking guy called 'The Hurricane'. Their match ended 'Sunday Night Heat'. The random pop music returned whilst the set and ring were changed. A lot of the audience left at this point, presumably to get refreshments or to visit the concessions stands. Mikhile too wanted refreshments as did Emily. Wanda used the intercom to order 3 large cola's, a large bucket of popcorn and 2 hot dogs. When Wanda asked about paying, she was informed a tab had been set up by Mr McMahon and not to worry, very much surprised her. Shortly after ordering the food and drinks arrived.

"Oh, I can't wait for 'Raw' to start .It was 'Bad Blood' last night, you know, and it was fantastic." Mikhile said between bites of hot dog and gulps of cola.

"Are you as stupid as them? They said earlier 'Bad Blood' was a week ago."

Correcting Emily again, Mikhile told her they had to say that as 'Heat' was aired a week later. By this time, Mikhile was wearing his new Triple H t-shirt and also had a 'Rock' cap on. He became really excited when it was announced that 'Monday Night Raw' was about to start. The random pop music faded away and the crowd went manic as some regal music played and it was announced that Jerry 'The King' Lawler was making his way to the ring .This was followed by the announcement that Jim Ross was on his way to the ring, with subsequent jolly drumming / funfair sounding music. 'The King' and Jim Ross took their seats at a now different and relocated commentators table.

"Good evening and welcome to 'Monday Night Raw'. We're just one day removed from 'Bad Blood' and what a slobberknocker we have for you tonight." J.R. began to open the show.

'Yeah, but will Batista be lucky enough to pull off another win over Edge?" King enthusiastically replied.

"We'll have to wait for the main event for that King," J.R. calmly responded and then continued, "but first the tagteam titles are on the line as La Resistance defends their titles against William Regal and Eugene."

The match soon got under way and Mikhile was disappointed when La Resistance retained their titles. Rob Conway had hit Regal with a low blow when the referee was distracted by Eugene doing some sort of strange airplane dance for the crowd. The following match was handicap between Tyson Tomko and Christian verses Chris Jericho, which ended in some bimbo named Trish Stratus coming down and hitting Jericho with a move Mikhile informed them was called the chick kick. There were lots of advertisements for various soft drinks and snack products between matches. Also between matches was footage that looked as though it was from backstage. Edge was seen arriving at the arena looking battered and dishevelled. Some red headed woman called Lita was seen talking to and then kissing a bald, kind of crazy looking guy called Kane. Mikhile informed them Lita had been forced to marry Kane against her wishes when she found out she was pregnant with his child, but, after the pair had lost the baby they seemed to be growing closer. Emily thought most of the backstage footage and stories were stupid and totally unrealistic.

"Why would a hot chick like that marry a freak like him?" Emily asked in disgust.

But the Intercontinental title match soon got her attention. Champion Shelton Benjamin was defending his title against the guy from her poster, Randy Orton.

"Now, HE is hot, look at those pecs and that stomach. It's enough to make anyone wanna jump in the ring."

Wanda thought Emily was either blind or hadn't see Batista yet to think a baby-faced mamma's boy like Randy Orton was hot. The match was pretty good but Wanda could hardly make out what was going on due to Emily's constant squealing and jumping up and down, which got out of control when Orton was crowned new Intercontinental Champion. The match before the main event was a divas' bra and panties match between Christy Hemme and Stacy Keibler. Wanda was worried someone as young as Mikhile shouldn't be watching women parade around in their underwear, but thankfully he didn't seem to take much notice. Emily wasn't pleased though when Stacy Keibler dedicated her win to her boyfriend Randy Orton.

"God, what a bimbo! What does he even see in a tart like her anyway?" protested Emily.

Wanda, however, was highly amused by this, thinking it served her right for fancying a prat like Orton. The bra and panties match was followed by backstage footage of Batista in his locker room, preparing for his match. Unlike Friday when she'd seen him, Batista was now wearing only a little pair of white wrestling pants with a red motive on. His muscular body was covered in baby oil to define his more than ample physic. Wanda swooned inside at the sight of him. Then the scene cut back to the arena and some rock type music played before a tall blonde guy in a long leather coat appeared. The crowd booed incessantly as Edge made his way to the ring and pointed to his waist mouthing 'It's mine.'

Mikhile was irate at this point, screaming.

"It's Batista's title no matter what Edge or anyone else says."

Batista's music played and he appeared at the top of the ramp, looking better than he did only moments ago with the lights picking up every inch of his body. He stood on the stage and shouted to the crowd, flexing his muscles before posing to show off the gleaming title around his waist. Wanda couldn't help but think how attractive he looked. Emily made some comment about Batista using the world's supply of baby oil. Wanda was not impressed. Then the match began and it went to and fro for about 15 minutes, with missed Batista bombs and spears and a few near pin falls. Both Mikhile and Wanda were on the edge of their seats. The two men staggered to their feet, as Triple H appeared and jumped onto the ring apron trying to get into the ring. The referee attempted to stop him. Batista, noticing what was going on, became distracted, leaving him open for a low blow from Edge. Triple H smiled and dropped to the outside mat, taking a seat at ring side with a smirk on his face. Edge then tried to hit the spear, but missed. Causing Edge to impale the referee and knocked him out. Unknowing the referee was down, Batista hit Edge. The crowd went mad whilst Triple H shouted in disbelief. Wanda and Mikhile were both on their feet in jubilation. As Batista lifted Edge up high, Triple H slide into the ring with a sledge hammer. He hit Batista with it, and Batista doubled up in pain, dropping Edge. Whilst Batista was keeled over in pain, Triple H hit him in the back of the head with the hammer. Triple H then pulled Edge onto Batista's lifeless body before waking the referee and returning to his seat at ring side. The crowd were going mental and Mikhile and Wanda were screaming. Slowly the referee made the 3 count and Edge was crowned new World Heavyweight Champion. As Edge's music played through, Batista began to stir, realizing what had just happened. Triple H entered the ring and knelt over Batista's body, screaming something to him about knowing how it felt. The crowd booed wildly and Mikhile was crazed cursing 'The Game.'

Wanda was amazed: Was Triple H meant to have come out? Was Batista going to be ok? Edge had now reached the stage at the top of the ramp, his new belt proudly around his waist. Before disappearing Edge took a mic and shouted, 'It's my time now!' Medical staff were at the ring, taking Batista away on a stretcher. Triple H remained in the ring, looking more than pleased with himself.

"Mikhile, what's going on? Does stuff like that usually happen?" Wanda seemed really worried.

"Don't worry, Wanda, it's all fake. The hammer was probably rubber or summat." Mikhile laughed.

"Oh, thank god for that, I was really scared," sighed Wanda.

"Ha, Mr. Baby oil, isn't all he cracked up to be then?" laughed Emily at Batista's loss.

"Well we can't all be perfect, like Randy Orton can we?" retorted Wanda sarcastically, giving Emily a scathing look.

Then the door opened and it was Vince again. He seemed very pleased.

"Hello, again Ms Ravenmoon, so did you all enjoy 'Raw' ?"

Mikhile leapt to his feet, completely oblivious to Mr McMahon's power and how rude he was being.

"Oh, it was fantastic, but I can't believe Batista lost the title. He's going to kill Triple H now, isn't he?" squealed Mikhile.

Vince didn't seem at all angry at Mikhile's childlike ignorance. In-fact, he seemed happy.

"Glad you enjoyed it, young man. What do you say about rounding off the night by meeting some of our superstars. You might even get a chance to tell Triple H what you think of him," Vince said with a smile.

Mikhile's eyes lit up and he looked as though Christmas had come early. Wanda's heart jumped at the thought of running into Batista and she heard Emily whisper, 'Ohhh, I hope we meet Randy.'

**To be continued………..**


	4. Backstage

**Author's notes: **Pleasedeveryone liked that chapter, hope the following goes down just as well. Thanks for all the great reviews.

**Jen105**, glad you like it, I'll update as soon as I can so please keep reading

**Disco Inferno1**glad you picked up on 'Poochie' acting oddly, he's going to prove very useful in the coming chapters. As to me poking fun at Orton fangirls, I haven't really got anything against Orton or his fans, I just enjoy annoying my friend, **Polythenegirl21**. Glad you liked the skybox, was a little worried it may have been a little O.T.T. Pleased Mikhile proved to be good comic relief, sadly the following chapter will probably be the last we see of him. Hope that it doesn't disappoint.

**huntersgirl**first a question. Are you a fan of the Disney show 'American Dragon: Jake Long' ? I thought because of your name you might be. If so, don't you think it's a totally wicked show? I hope in the following chapter, when they do met Randy, you'll enjoy the results.

**coors1977**Nice to see so many people enjoyed the interpretation of 'Raw', as I've only seen a dark 'Smackdown' show in the U.K, I didn't have much to go on. Thanks for over looking the fact Wanda is dumb enough to believe Triple H's attack was real, but when she does meet the superstars it'll make for some interesting convocation.

**shady-angel821**I know, the lack of Batista is terrible, it's killing me too. So this chapter will hopefully please all the Batista fans.

**Polythenegirl21**laughing my ass off. You liking Orton makes him such an easy target, I'm sorry, I'll try to stop. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for you're comment about my over use of the word 'then', I never really picked up on it, but I'll be sure to use it less now. You'll be glad to know Randy will be back for a lot more, I'll try to cut out the piss- taking!

Bar Phoenix is not a real bar in New Orleans, I was going to use a real one but as I've never actually been to New Orleans it would have been inaccurate.

By the way, I'm so unbelievably jealous that 'Raw' was from my hometown of Birmingham U.K, this past week. Dam lack of money and baby sitters!

**Chapter four: **Backstage

Vince McMahon escorted them out of the room and down another corridor to where the backstage area was. There were a few people hanging around, but they were mostly security staff and crew members. He led them to a door, the sign on the front read 'Triple H', he knocked and entered, beaconing them to follow. Upon entering the room Wanda spotted Ric Flair, Triple H and a tall woman, wearing a smart dress suit, her brown hair tied up in a bun, all sitting round a large coffee table. Mikhile seemed star struck, Wanda felt nervous and Emily seemed totally uninterested, as though she had a million better places to be. Vince spoke.

"Hunter, Stephanie, Ric, I'd like to introduce you to Mr Rodriguez's son Mikhile, his assistant Ms Ravenmoon and her guest Emily."

The group gathered around the table all said hello, Wanda too greeted them, Mikhile remained silent and Emily whispered a small hi.

"Hunter, I think Mikhile has some thing to say to you," continued Vince.

Mikhile turned bright red with embarrassment whilst Wanda wondered who Stephanie was. Emily was staring blankly around the room, not really looking at anyone. Then Triple H spoke.

"So, what was it you wanted to say to me, Mikhile? I bet you were going to tell me that I should be champ," Hunter said with a cheeky grin.

Ric Flair, obviously still in character let out a 'Woooo!' to which Hunter let out a laugh. Stephanie remained silent, her icy blue eyes staring from Wanda to Emily. Mikhile spoke, nervously.

"I, I, I can't believe you cost Batista the title," he muttered.

Vince, Hunter and Ric all laughed. Then Ric spoke.

"Well, Mikhile, you know I'm the dirtiest player in the game and Trip here learnt from the best."

Mikhile seemed to relax because of Ric's last comment and soon enough he was chatting with Hunter and Ric. Wanda started to feel very nervous, especially as Stephanie kept watching her. Vince interrupted the conversation.

"Ric, I was wondering, perhaps you'd like to take Mikhile and Emily to meet some of the other guys, to give us a chance to talk business."

Ric agreed and led Mikhile and Emily out of the room. Then Vince made a more formal introduction.

"Ms Ravenmoon, this is as you know is my son-in-law, Hunter and my daughter, Stephanie. Hunter, Stephanie, this is executive assistant Wanda Ravenmoon."

They all shook hands. Wanda felt relieved to know who Stephanie was, although the introduction hadn't stopped her staring. Wanda then worried that Stephanie might think she fancied Hunter or something.

"Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, I have other business to attend to. I'll leave you to get acquainted."

Then Vince left. Wanda felt very uneasy being left alone with Hunter and Stephanie, part of her wished she'd gone with Ric, Mikhile and Emily, especially as they may run into Batista. Wanda was now even more intrigued by him and the mere thought of him sent her heart racing. Then, for the first time Stephanie spoke.

"Ms Ravenmoon, please take a seat, I have been very keen to speak with you."

Wanda took a seat opposite them. Stephanie continued.

"Vince and my brother, Shane, have told me a lot about you and the proposal you presented on Friday. I've been very impressed by what I've heard and am glad to see a woman in such a good position."

Wanda relaxed a little, feeling thrilled by Stephanie's last comment, although half of her mind was still thinking of Batista. The three of them talked about the film deal and Wanda's previous work and experience for about half an hour. Both Hunter and Stephanie seemed very impressed. Then, suddenly, the door burst open and someone came in. Wanda turned, expecting to see Ric Flair, Mikhile and Emily had returned, but to her surprise and delight, it was Batista. He spoke, without realizing who else was in the room, he seemed quite excited.

"Trip, Trip, tonight was awesome!"

He trailed off realizing Stephanie and Wanda were in the room. He suddenly seemed shy and slightly embarrassed.

"Dave, allow me to introduce you to Ms Ravenmoon. We were just discussing a deal for the company she works with to produce the WWE movies," Hunter pointed out, making it obvious who Wanda was and why she was there.

Batista seemed impressed. Stephanie continued to speak.

"Why don't you take a seat? We're almost done here and I'm sure Wanda doesn't bite."

She tapped Wanda's foot, with her own and gave a coy grin. From out of nowhere Wanda said,

"Only if you ask me to."

Hunter winked at Dave and laughed out loud. Stephanie and Dave shot sly looks between each other. Wanda felt totally embarrassed and slightly confused. Why the heck had she said that and what was going on between Dave and Stephanie. The silence was broken by Stephanie.

"Oh, Wanda be gentle with him, he's just lost the world heavyweight championship," she said with a giggle.

Hunter was laughing again, but Dave seemed slightly embarrassed. Then Stephanie continued to speak, the conversation reverting back to work.

"Wanda, there was something else I wanted to discuss with you. A few of us are going for drinks later and you're welcome to join us."

Hunter smirked as Dave's eyes lit up.

"Errm, O-K, but I need to make sure Mikhile gets home safely and there's Emily to think about too."

All of a sudden Ric, Mikhile and Emily returned, accompanied by Randy Orton. None of them looked surprised to see the little group that had gathered. For once, Emily didn't look totally bored out of her brains, in-fact she seemed slightly pleased with herself.

"Guess what? Guess what? I've met Kane and Eugene and Stacy and Trish and Edge……."

Mikhile noticed Batista was in the room and he screamed with delight and went rushing over to him.

"Oh my god, it's you! Oh, Batista you're the best ever, I love you and you should have retained the title tonight," Mikhile gushed.

Batista laughed, seeming genuinely flattered by Mikhile's attention. They chatted for a while, and Batista signed some stuff for him. Emily and Randy Orton sat whispering in the corner. Ric Flair had randomly decided to chat to Wanda even though he didn't really say much, just general chit chat like what she did for a living, but she was distracted by Hunter and Stephanie. They were whispering whilst looking between Wanda and Batista, which unnerved her a little. After about half an hour, Vince returned.

"Hello again, I hope you've all had a good night. It has been my pleasure entertaining you and I hope you enjoyed this little treat."

Vince turned his attention directly to Wanda and Flair faded over to Mikhile and Batista.

"Ms Ravenmoon, it's been a pleasure doing business with you. I'll fax you more details about post production tomorrow and I'll be sure to mention all your hard work to Mr Rodriguez."

At this, Wanda turned bright red. Vince then turned his attention to the whole group.

"Hunter, Stephanie, I'll see you on Sunday. Ric, call me about dinner. Randy, take it easy and remember what I told you. Dave, I'll speak to you tomorrow, enjoy your break. Emily, Mikhile it has been a pleasure meeting both of you.

Good night everyone." And with this he left, assumingly to go home.

With the departure of Vince, Ric too decided it was time to leave. He made his good byes before turning to speak directly with Mikhile.

"Nice to have met you, Mikhile, and remember what I told you, to be the man, you have to beat the man." Then he was gone.

There was a few minutes of silence before Mikhile spoke. He looked very tired, the days events had obviously taken it out of him.

"Wanda, I'm tired, can we go home soon?"

Wanda agreed that it was very late and they too should be leaving, so the three of them went to make their good byes. Emily barely uttered 'bye' to everyone before returning to the corner where she and Randy said goodbye.

At this point the group split up, Mikhile was saying good bye to Hunter and Batista and Stephanie pulled Wanda aside out of ear shot of the rest.

"Wanda, I'd really like it if you could join us later. There's something I wanted to ask you. There's only a few of us going, but it'll be fun and, after all your hard work, you deserve to let your hair down a little."

Wanda was a little unsure. What did Stephanie want to ask her and what would she do about Emily, who hadn't been invited? Also she felt a little uneasy at the idea of spending time with so many wrestlers, especially Batista. But her attention was overtaken by Randy--he'd just asked Hunter if it was ok if Emily joined them tonight. So that settled it in Wanda's mind. She wasn't about to stay at home, whilst Emily hung out with a group of wrestlers including Batista. Smiling, Stephanie handed Wanda a card. The card said: 'Bar Phoenix. Charles Avenue.' The bar wasn't far from the hotel where Wanda had first met Shane or from her own apartment. They then moved to join the rest of the group where Wanda said goodbye to everyone before plucking up the courage to speak to Batista.

"Dave, it was nice to have met you," she said extending her hand.

He took hold of it and agreed that it was nice to have met, holding her hand just longer than normal. Just like last time their hands had touched, Wanda thought how soft they were. Then they left, Stephanie calling to Wanda the name of the bar again and to meet in an hour and a half . As the trio headed for the car, the conversation in Hunter's room continued.

"What's happening tonight then? How come Wanda and Emily are coming?" questioned Dave looking slightly flustered.

"Oh well, I have something to ask Wanda and I though her joining us tonight would be the perfect opportunity to get to know some of the people she might be working with," replied Stephanie.

Randy added that it was only fair that he invited Emily too. Hunter made a comment that Dave shouldn't mind anyway as he'd mentioned her enough since he'd seen her on Friday. Dave admitted he found Wanda attractive, but warned everyone not to interfere as he really didn't want to get into a relationship.

"Oh Dave, stop being so silly, I know how you feel but you can't go avoiding relationships forever. Wanda seems really nice. Why don't you just see what happens?" Stephanie told him.

Dave gave her a look as if to say 'stop meddling' and the conversation of Wanda ceased. Randy Orton, however, was more than willing to make his feelings clear.

"Well I'm not gonna sit back and be a wallflower tonight. Emily is damn hot."

During the whole drive back to Mr Rodriguez's house, Wanda's head was spinning. What did Stephanie want to ask her? What was going on with Batista? From the second she'd seen him, Wanda had been attracted to him and was starting to think the feeling was mutual. She didn't really know why, but she got this feeling from the little things that had happened. The way he looked at her, him taking her hand for those few extra seconds and how he seemed to act like a shy school boy whenever she looked over. But she thought maybe it was all in her head because she wanted it to be true. Soon enough, Wanda pulled up in Mr Rodriguez's drive. Emily stayed in the car as Wanda took Mikhile inside. Mikhile went straight to bed as he'd already fallen asleep in the car and could barely make it up the stairs. Mr Rodriguez was delighted to hear his son had such a good night and, when Wanda told him about the details of her conversation with Vince, he was ecstatic.

"Wanda, you've really done me proud tonight . I couldn't be happier than if it had been Mikhile. You're an asset to the company and part of the family. I have a lot to discus with you, but that can wait until tomorrow. I'm sure you're eager to get home."

Wanda was delighted in how the day had gone and was thrilled by what Mr Rodriguez had just said. She was sure she was on her way to something big. Realizing she was meant to be meeting Stephanie in less than an hour, Wanda sped home. Although Emily spoke of nothing but Randy Orton, Wanda's mind was on Batista and she managed to work herself into a frenzy over what to wear. She didn't want to turn up in the same clothes she'd worn earlier and give off the wrong impression, but the card Stephanie had given her gave no dress code. On arriving home, Wanda jumped straight into the shower. Emily proudly hung her Orton poster on her bedroom wall, giving no concern to the time. Emily then took a shower as Wanda tried to figure out what to wear. In her bedroom, Wanda heard the answer phone bleeping, letting her know she had a new message. She hit play to hear the caller.

"Wanda, are you home? It's……"

She didn't need to hear the rest of the message to know who it was and deleted it straight away. This was the last person she wanted to hear from, never the less the message had left her shaken. Her mind was no longer on tonight but the caller and what they could have wanted. On opening her closet, Wanda was surprised not to find 'Poochie' asleep and wondered where he'd got to. Sifting through the closet, Wanda noticed the new leather skirt she'd brought on Saturday. It was cut to just above the knee and had slits on either side that went up to the thighs. She decided to wear it, teaming it with a purple lace top with its arms flared at the end. She put on a pair of fishnets and her knee high boots, and took out her opal and onyx cross and ring to wear. She styled her hair down and straight, showing off the platinum blonde streaks at the front that contrasted with the rest of her jet black hair. Wanda applied a thick layer of eye liner and plum lipgloss. She looked almost as gothic as she had in her university days. Emily entered the room, announcing she was ready. Emily was wearing the new 'Punky Fish' mini dress that she'd brought at the weekend, teamed with a lot of pink punk jewelry. Her hair was also styled down and straight, but she'd braided the pink streaks and added little silver stars at the end. They headed outside to wait for the cab to take them to Bar Phoenix, ready for the night ahead.

**To be continued…**


	5. Southern Charm

**Author's notes: **Sorry to excite everyone, this isn't chapter 6. I have actually written it, but when my beta checked it, there were a few inaccuracies. So I've re-written the ending to this chapter, so hopefully chapter 6 will work better.

**Chapter five: **Southern Charm.

Bar Phoenix wasn't too far away, so the cab ride was short. Wanda and Emily made their way the front door. It was $10 admission and the bouncers checked for their names on a list. As promised, Triple H had added them and getting in was no problem. From there they went and put their coats in the cloakroom. Wanda felt nervous and excited as she entered the lounge, which was busy but not jam packed. The room was made up of low set sofas with coffee tables in front. There were some booths lined around the place, mostly filled with couples. The wall opposite the entrance door was lined with the bar. Behind the bar, the wall was lined with mirrors. In the far corner was a dimly lit pool table. She scanned the room to find Dave, Hunter and Randy at the bar. Stephanie, who was seated in a booth not far from the female restroom, was to Wanda's surprise alone. They made their way to where Stephanie sat, passing the guys as they went. The three noticed the new arrivals and turned round. Randy immediately greeted Emily with a 'Hiya' and a broad smile, ignoring Wanda. Emily went over to him and they began whispering. Hunter acknowledged both of them and spoke.

"Wanda, Hi. "

"Hey," she replied.

Dave said nothing, so she turned to him using her best southern charm. "Hey sugah, aren't you gonna say hello to a laydee?"

Dave seemed slightly embarrassed as he replied, "Errrm, yeah, hi, do you wanna drink, 'tis my round."

"Please, Jack Daniel's and coke, thanks. "

He asked Emily too, mostly out of politeness. Randy had already brought her a margarita though.

Dave made the order and Hunter noticed her choice and laughed.

"Ha, hard drinker hey?"

"Comes with being a southern gal," Wanda giggled.

Adding the drink to the tray, already containing 2 bottles of Budweiser and a small white whine spritzer, they made their way over to Stephanie. Wanda suddenly realized the music playing was 'Sad but true' by Metallica. Fantastic she thought, decent music. Randy and Emily had already taken their seats, a little away from the rest of the group. As Wanda took the last empty seat, Stephanie looked up and smiled broadly, pleased to see she'd decided to come.

"Hi," smiled the brunette, whose hair was now down and curled in contrast to the formal tight bun it had been in earlier that evening.

Stephanie was dressed in a deep red halter neck top and leather pants. She looked very different from the corporate image of before and Wanda noticed a striking prettiness she'd not seen earlier. Hunter was dressed in a short sleeved black shirt, with the 2 top buttons undone, showing off his rippling muscles. His blonde hair was styled down and perfectly straight and he wore a pair of sunglasses, like a headband. Wanda noticed his beard was different to how it'd been earlier. He'd shaved away the chin part so it resembled 'Lemmy's' beard, the singer from Motorhead. She thought it made him look older and slightly stupid. She couldn't really see what Randy was dressed in as he had his head close to Emily's and she was obscuring her view. Dave looked stunning, he was dressed in a long sleeved dark blue shirt, with 34 of the buttons undone, showing of the top of his tanned chest. He wore a gold chain around his neck. Wanda swooned inside, thinking how incredibly hot he looked.

"So, how was Mikhile when he got home?" asked Hunter.

"Oh he was plum tuckered out, I think all the excitement wore him out," Wanda smiled.

"So, are you into wrestling?" continued the preened blonde.

Wanda took a few seconds to respond as she was distracted by the others. Emily was tossing her hair and laughing loudly at something Randy had just said. Stephanie seemed somewhere else and Dave was humming along to the music.

"To be honest, no, tonight was the first event I've ever seen. I was very impressed though," she admitted.

"So, what do you do when you're not working?" Stephanie asked, joining the conversation.

"I write a lot--I want to make my own film eventually. I love reading, mostly horror, and I have a pet poodle."

"Oh how sweet, what's its name?" Stephanie squealed with delight.

Wanda noticed Dave listening with interest and Hunter was quietly laughing to himself at Stephanie's enthusiasm about the dog. Randy and Emily still weren't taking any interest in the group's conversation as they were too busy flirting outrageously with each other.

"His name is 'Poochie', he's only a year old but he's gorgeous and slightly mad," she smiled.

Hunter (stood) up and smoothed his already perfect hair down. "Just popping to the restroom."

He walked off across the bar. By this time, most of the drinks lay empty.

"Would you like another drink? I think it's my round. Dave? Randy? Emily? Same again?" asked Stephanie.

"Please," they all replied.

Emily and Randy now moved over to join the remaining 2, which Wanda was grateful of as she felt a little nervous being left alone with Dave. She half expected him to disappear to the loo at any second, but he didn't and, to her surprise, he turned and began to speak.

"I love your accent. You lived in the south all your life?"

"Sure have sugah, born, grew up and live in New Orleans."

"Bet you love Mardi Gras then?"

"Oh yeah, it's amazing, the French quarter is always bustling, but, during Mardi Gras, the whole place is crazy."

"You lived here long Emily? I guess by your accent you're not a local," asked Dave.

Emily was surprised some one other than Randy had spoken to her.

"No, I'm not, I moved in with Wanda about four years ago. Before that, I lived in England."

Both guys raised their eyebrows in amazement.

Dave was staring at Wanda, transfixed by the cross' tip nestled between her cleavage. He let out a small laugh of amusement.

"What?" Wanda questioned.

"Nothing, I was just wondering, as you look quite gothic and you mentioned you were into horror books, whether you read vampire horror?"

"Ha, you're good. Yeah I do, I love Anne Rice," Wanda laughed.

"Did you know she lives in New Orleans?" Randy asked.

Emily smirked, as though she had some really interesting gossip to share. "Oh Wanda knows she lives in New Orleans. She holds a fancy-dress ball every Halloween that Wanda's been to, dressed as a vampire many times."

Randy smirked, as if that revelation was the funniest thing he'd ever heard, but Dave seemed really interested.

"Wow! You're a bit of a wild one, aren't you?"

"Not so much any more, that was back in my Uni days when I was a mean and moody Goth," Wanda grinned.

Stephanie and Hunter had returned, armed with more drinks.

"Oh god, he isn't boring you with his life story already?" laughed Hunter as he sat down.

"Actually, Wanda was telling me about Mardi Gras and how she's been to the author Anne Rice's Halloween ball," answered the dark haired man, with a look of awe.

"Oh no, you've found someone as crazy as you," Stephanie laughed, winking at Dave and nudging Wanda.

Wanda smiled, she was really beginning to enjoy herself and had totally forgotten about the messages on her answering machine. She was humming along to the music, which was now 'Freak on a leash' by Korn. Wanda was totally in a world of her own as she took in the riffs of her favourite song. She could just about make out Stephanie, Hunter, Randy and Emily chatting among themselves. Then she realized Dave was watching her, transfixed as she sat mouthing along to the words. Wanda turned red at having an audience as did Dave.

"So, what you into?" she asked, trying to play down the fact she'd caught him looking at her.

"Wrestling mostly, you don't get much time for anything else in this business. Although I do love reading too and I'm well into rock music, I love Metallica."

"Wow! Seems like we have a fair bit in common, I'm a proper Southern rock chick."

"Yeah, you can tell," replied Dave, with a cheeky grin.

"And what's that meant to mean?" Wanda asked, with a raised eye-brow.

"Oh, come off it. The hair, the make-up, that cross. I bet you use to be a Goth."

Wanda burst out laughing. "Well, you've really got my number, haven't you?"

"What's so funny?" asked Hunter, his attention being drawn from the other conversation.

"Oh, nothing, Dave here isn't just a pretty face," she replied, with a giggle.

"Come off it ! With muscles like that, who needs brains?" Hunter teased.

Emily and Randy were still pretty removed from the group and they seemed to have got through a lot more drinks than the others, especially Emily. Stephanie, however, was very quiet. She'd barely touched her drink, kept disappearing to the restroom and hadn't spoken since she returned from the bar. Wanda felt a little concerned as it had been Stephanie who'd invited her out.

"Hey sugah, are you all right?"

"Yeah, yeah," replied Stephanie, not really looking all right.

The time passed as Wanda, Dave and Hunter chatted, getting through a few more drinks. Stephanie still sat in almost silence, adding a 'yeah' or 'that's nice' every now and again. Wanda was slightly alarmed at the rate Emily and Randy were getting through drinks. She knew Emily's wild streak but had hoped she'd have taken it a bit easy tonight. Then, for the first time in a while, Stephanie spoke.

"Wanda, I wanted to ask you, would you be interested in coming to work for the WWE? I was very impressed by the proposal you presented and, after hearing you do your own writing too, I'd be very interested in offering you a job."

Wanda was utterly gob-smacked. Hunter rolled his eyes.

"Come on Dave, lets go and play pool and leave the women to talk shop."

He looked to Randy, checking if he wanted to join them, but he was too busy making goo-goo eyes at Emily as she pawed all over him. So the other two guys picked up their drinks and headed for the pool table.

"So, Wanda what type of things have you written?" Stephanie asked.

"Well, apart from the obvious production work, I've written 3 small screen plays, one of which was actually brought by a local cable company. I've also been working on a novel for a few years, but, with my work load increasing, I haven't had a chance to work on it for a while."

"Wow, that's really impressive. So, say I could offer you a position, either in the WWE or our film company, would you be interested?"

"It's something I'd really have to think about first, Stephanie. I'm very loyal to Mr Rodriguez, he's almost like family to me. There's also the financial aspect to consider and if it would then limit my career."

Wanda and Stephanie continued to discuss the prospect of her coming to work for the WWE. But they were suddenly interrupted by Emily. After drinking about 6 margaritas, she'd begun to get a little rowdy. Randy had just made a joke and Emily laughed so loudly most of the bar turned to look. 'Bar tender' by (Hed) Pee began to play, which was Emily's favourite song. Before Wanda even realized what was going on, to her horror,Emily was stood on the table, dancing. Randy looked highly amused and watched transfixed as she moved to the music, cheering her on.

"Oh my god, Stephanie I'm REALLY sorry about this," squealed Wanda as she ran to stop her cousin.

"Get the hell down from there NOW! If you don't get down, I'll throw you out !" shouted Wanda.

Emily climbed down from the table with a look of total disgust on her face. Randy's face mirrored this look, as though Wanda telling Emily off was the worst thing ever. Stephanie seemed unpleased but not angry.

"I have NEVER been so embarrassed in my whole life! Get the hell out of my sight now."

With that Emily left, Randy in hot pursuit. Wanda did not know nor care where they were going. She returned to the table and made apologies to Stephanie, who really didn't seem to mind and actually found it quite funny. Luckily, Dave and Hunter were still playing pool and had not seen Emily's out burst.

"You seem to be getting on well with Wanda. She's definitely taken a shine to you, she keeps calling you 'sugah'. Hunter noted with a half-grin.

"Ha, yeah, you gotta admit though, that 'gal' has a lot of charm."

"Yeah she has, she's so different here. More relaxed and plucky. Do you reckon anything will happen?"

"I dunno. She's an interesting girl, that's for sure."

Dave had been so distracted by speaking about Wanda, (no comma needed) that he'd missed Hunter pocketing the black ball. Hunter teased Dave, saying his head was obviously somewhere else. Agreeing he wasn't concentrating, they headed back to Wanda and Stephanie. On their way, Dave decided to get some more drinks, so Hunter headed back alone. Oblivious to what had gone on with Emily and Randy, he asked where they'd got to. Saving Wanda from having to explain the embarrassing actions of her cousin, Stephanie told him they had headed home. Stephanie then disappeared to the restroom. So Hunter decided to try and figure out Wanda's feelings about Dave.

"So, why 'sugah' so much Wanda?"

"Ha, it's a Southern thing."

"But you never call me 'sugah.'"

"You're married, besides I save it for special people," she replied with a wink.

Dave had just returned with the drinks.

"I'm impressed Wanda, you can really hold your drink," he said, placing another Jack Daniel's and coke in front of her.

"Like I said, sugah, I'm a proper Southern gal."

As she said 'sugah,' she looked at Hunter and giggled. Stephanie returned from the restroom looking not all there. Wanda again worried something was wrong but chose not to press the matter as she got the impression Stephanie would rather be left alone.

"So, guys, do those hammer shots really hurt? They looked pretty painful," enquired Wanda.

"Nah, not one bit, they're fake. But, shush, don't tell anyone," laughed Hunter.

Stephanie seemed to snap out of her thoughts and asked if anyone wanted another drink. Hunter said he was ok, but Dave gave a look as if to say, 'I'll have another if Wanda does'. Wanda agreed to another drink but this time asked for a double.

"I wanna show these boys how it's done," she grinned cheekily.

Dave looked shocked and Hunter almost spat out his beer.

"Well, if you're playing that game, make mine a double too, no coke though."

This time Hunter really did spit out his beer, in a fit of laughter.

"He can't handle been beaten by a girl at something," smirked Hunter.

Hunter decided to accompany Stephanie to the bar. Asking whether Stephanie was ok, she replied that she was fine as she just had something on her mind. Hunter commented that Dave was only trying to keep up with Wanda's drinking to impress her, saying he could tell by they way he looked at her that he was obviously smitten. Stephanie agreed that there was a spark there but felt Wanda seemed a little guarded. They returned to the table. Luckily, after so many drinks, Wanda was feeling fine. She liked Dave a lot and they seemed to get on well, he was great to spend time with. After returning from the bar, Stephanie seemed more relaxed and together. Wanda found herself staring at Dave when he wasn't looking. His hair looked so soft and his eyes had a lovely twinkle to them. Maybe she was a little drunk she thought because she desperately wanted to kiss him and run her fingers through his dark curls. Quickly, she downed her drink in one and Dave noticed and downed his drink too. Both Hunter and Stephanie laughed at the pair.

With a smirk on his face and a sly wink to Stephanie, Hunter suggested that as Wanda was beating Dave at drinking, maybe they should arm wrestle so Dave could redeem himself. Wanda agreed, claming she's beat him with no problem. They placed their arms on the table and grabbed each others hands. Dave was really strong and Wanda had trouble keeping her arm up. Realizing she was going to lose, Wanda had an idea. With her free hand, she took a sip of her drink and took the ice into her mouth. She then coughed and as she covered her mouth and slipped the ice into her hand. Then she slapped her hand and ice onto the hand Dave was arm wrestling with. He jumped up in shock, his hand dropping making Wanda the winner. Hunter almost fell out of his chair in laughter.

Hunter and Stephanie then decided to call it a night. They made their good byes and Stephanie said they really should do this more often. The mood relaxed a lot when Stephanie and Hunter left. They got some more drinks and Wanda kicked her feet up onto the empty seat Stephanie had left. Dave made a comment that her boots looked very dangerous. They continued to drink and chat, until the bartender announced it was closing time.They both got up and made their way outside, the cold air hitting Wanda and making her feel a little woozy. Dave noticed a free cab and hailed it over.

"Shall I jump in with you to make sure you get home safely?"

"Awww, you sweetie, yeah that'd be nice."

They got into the cab and sat very closely together. Before long, Dave put his arm around Wanda. She didn't want the cab ride to end but, soon enough, it did. Dave told the cab driver to wait a few minutes so he could see Wanda to her apartment safely. They stood in the car park for a little while, just staring at each other as though they wanted to kiss but were too shy to. Wanda slipped her arms around Dave's waist. He leaned in to kiss her, but suddenly they were distracted by the commotion coming from the apartment block. Wanda noticed a fire truck parked just to the side of the car park and her neighbours were filing out of their apartments.

**To be continued……**


	6. Bad news and blossoming friendships

**Author's notes: **Thanks as always for the reviews. Glad to see that I'm keeping loyal readers but also attracting new ones. Hope you all enjoy the following chapter.

**wrestlenascargirl**glad you're enjoying it so far, I hope you continue to read it.

**huntersgirl**pleased that you like the growing relationships and hope you enjoy it as they progress.

**coors1977**I posted a review commenting on points you made in your review. I really appreciate the constructive criticism you give. As I've already commented on your points, I'll leave those out here. Glad you liked the drinking contest and arm wrestling, yeah it would have been silly to have Wanda beat Dave 'honestly'. I did have another arm wrestling contest, where she resorted to tickling him to win, but had to cut it, as the chapter was getting too long. Glad you liked Wanda's ability to handle large amounts of J.D. I drew from personal experience, because I can drink a fair bit of it with out getting too drunk and never get hung over from it. I couldn't resist the pop at Trip's beard, it's been bugging me for weeks! The whole of Emily's antics cracked me up to write and I'm glad you liked the reactions to it. Hope you enjoy the coming chapters.

**bkerbunny**Glad you've started to read and you're enjoying it. Sorry to disappoint you that there was no 6th chapter. Thanks for the comment about the story line being original and new and I'm glad the cliff-hanger has got you interested. Hope you continue to enjoy it.

**Disco Inferno****1, **glad you liked the chapter. Yeah, it's about time Wanda and Dave had some ALONE time, it won't be too long now. Well, even if you don't want to know, you'll soon find out what was burning, I think in the long run it'll be a good thing though. Glad you liked the drinking and arm wrestling part, the ice cube trick was the best way to beat him that I could think of, apart from tickling which I cut out. The Steph story is going to continue, I was going to have her reveal the reason to Wanda in the restroom, but left it out to use later. Thanks for pointing out the formatting problem and that I'd left your parentheses in. I re-edited it and posted it again, so it's ok now. I'll just have to be more aware in future.

**shady-angel821**yeah 'Poochie' will be fine, I haven't the heart to kill him off !

Here's chapter 6, enjoy all……………….

**Chapter six : **Bad news and blossoming friendships.

Wanda tore across the car park, heading for the front doors, and was greeted by a fire officer.

"Excuse me, Miss, do you live here?" asked the officer.

"Yeah I do, is everything alright? What's happened?"

"A fire broke out in one of the apartments. Fortunately, there's been no casualties, but the apartment in question is ruined. We've had to evacuate everyone for safety reasons, but it should be safe to return in about an hour."

"Would it be alright if I quickly popped in to my apartment and checked that everything is alright. I have a puppy inside and I want to know he's safe."

"Yes, if you're quick and please be careful."

Wanda rushed past him and up the stairs, Dave following her. When she got to her door, it was sectioned off with yellow fire line tape. Realizing hers was the apartment in question, she tore down the tape and opened her apartment door as fast as she could. The sight that met her was horrific, every room, item of furnishing, everything was burnt to a crisp.

"Oh my god, Poochie! Where's Poochie," she screamed rushing inside.

She ran around the apartment screaming frantically for her dog. Everything in sight was black, burnt and ruined. Wanda sat on the ashen bed and began to sob. Dave sat next to her, holding her tightly.

"Come on, you can stay with me tonight," he whispered soothingly.

"But Poochie," she wailed.

"Don't think about that now, let's just get you out of here."

He picked her up and walked a shaky Wanda back out of the apartment. As they were leaving, Wanda was greeted by the Sergeant dealing with the fire.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Ravenmoon?" asked a man of about 50, with balding hair and a greying moustache.

"Uh-huh."

"I'm Sergeant Phillips of the New Orleans police department. Would it be alright if had a little chat?"

"Errrm, could it wait for 5 minutes? I need to find my dog."

Without waiting for Sergeant Phillips answer, Wanda ran back downstairs and into the car park, looking for one of her neighbours. She spotted Mrs.Walker covered in a long green shawl holding a shivering bundle, which turned out to be one of her many cats.

"Oh Wanda honey, you're all right. I was the one who noticed the fire and called the fire department earlier. Poochie…"

"Poochie, he's ok? Where is he? I want to see him," screamed Wanda.

"Yes dear, he's fine. He's over there on the grass. Quite a dog you have there. If it hadn't been for him, the whole building might have gone up. I called the fire department, and they managed to stop the fire, sadly though it sounds as though your apartment's ruined."

"Yeah, I've seen it. Thank you for calling the fire department,"

She looked at Dave, standing by the still waiting cab. He looked so worried for her and she was so glad he was here.

"Mrs Walker, is it ok if you keep Poochie for tonight? I'm staying with a friend," asked Wanda.

"Of course it is, dear. He can stay how ever long you need," replied the greying woman.

Wanda thanked Mrs Walker and made her goodbye. Then she made her way back over to Sergeant Phillips and Dave walked over too to offer his support.

"Miss Ravenmoon, have you got somewhere you can stay tonight?"

Wanda looked to Dave, and he nodded that she could stay with him.

"Yeah," Wanda replied to Sergeant Phillips.

"Can I ask you when was the last time you were at your apartment?"

"Earlier this evening."

"Would you mind coming down to the station and answering a few questions?"

"Could it not wait until the morning? It's late and I've had a long day."

Sergeant Phillips agreed and took Wanda's mobile number. She and Dave then left and got back into the cab that had been waiting for about 30 minutes now, although the driver didn't really mind and was glad of the large fair. They drove to the hotel where Wanda had first met with Shane McMahon.

"I can get myself a room, I'll be fine," protested Wanda.

"Don't be so silly, I can't leave you alone at a time like this. Besides it's a huge penthouse apartment, so there's plenty of room," insisted Dave.

"Thank you, you're a good friend," she smiled. Even though they'd only know each other for a few hours, Wanda really needed Dave at the moment.

The apartment was huge and gorgeous with a lovely long white leather couch. The walls were a light blue and the carpet was a deep luxurious blue. With a roaring open fire, it looked very inviting.

"Would it be ok if I took a shower? I stink of smoke," asked Wanda.

"Anything you need, do you want to borrow a shirt or something to sleep in?"

"Yeah, that'd be good, thanks."

"Do you want anything to eat?"

"No thanks, I really don't think I could manage anything."

"You've go to eat some thing, I'll order room service anyway. Maybe after a shower you'll change your mind. You can sleep in the bed, I'll be fine on the couch."

Wanda suddenly remembered the argument with Emily. She obviously hadn't gone home, or she'd have been caught in the fire. But where was she? Wanda called Emily's mobile but it was turned off and she left a message. Dave then called Randy's mobile, in the hopes that they were together, but that too was switched off. Hoping that they were together and safe, Wanda resolved to leave it until the morning. Wanda didn't know what else to say except thank you. Before she went to take a shower, Dave went into the bedroom where she guessed he was tidying up his 'guy mess', but he returned with 2 fake fur blankets.

"I've left a shirt, dressing gown and towels on the bed for you."

After thanking Dave for the 100th time, Wanda headed for the bedroom with a small smile. It was a massive white room with a black bed that she thought was more than big enough for 2 people. The room looked very tidy and only a sports bag lay out. Unable to resist temptation, Wanda peeked into the closet where there were rows of suits and shirts hanging up along with a few T-shirts, joggers and one or two more casual items. She made her way to the bathroom, which was all white too with black marble fittings. There were bottles of products lined up on a shelf, and neat piles of lush black towels and a strange cartoon fish shower curtain, that didn't really match the decoration of the rest of the room.

Wanda undressed and got into the shower. The hot water was so relaxing and soothing. She felt a little weird since she and Dave had only known each other for a few hours, yet here she was taking a shower in his apartment. Yet at the same time, she felt safe and knew he wasn't going to jump into bed with her the first chance he got. She could tell he cared about her and she felt like that too. It amazed her that they'd known each other for less than 24 hours, yet they'd clicked. Wanda got out of the shower and put on the shirt Dave had left for her. It smelt of his cologne and made her think of how badly she wished they'd have kissed. Then she put on the warm, soft dressing gown, tied up her hair and returned to the living room. The fire was roaring away, so Wanda seated herself on the couch, soaking up its warmth.

Dave wasn't in the room, but ,moments later, he immerged with a hot bowl of tomato soup and a mug of hot chocolate and handed them to her. The smell of the soup instantly made Wanda hungry and she ate it quickly. The food and warmth of the fire made her perk up a little. Wanda lay on the couch, covered with a blanket, whilst she sipped her hot chocolate. Dave sat near her feet and she couldn't help looking at him, thinking he was so gorgeous and so caring. A few hours passed as they sat chatting about random things, like their families and childhoods. Dave still seemed mesmerized by her southern accent. Wanda was mesmerized by him in general. The heat of the fire was now making Wanda feel drowsy and, in a matter of minutes, she'd fallen asleep.

Realizing Wanda was out for the count, Dave lifted her off the couch, her head dropping back and her hair cascading down. He carried her to the bedroom, noticing her clothes neatly piled on the dresser. Dave placed Wanda into bed, resting her head on two plump pillows and covered her over. Then he kissed her forehead and whispered, "Sweet dreams."

Wanda woke early the next morning in a panic as she didn't realize where she was. Then it all came flooding back to her--the bar, the fire, Dave inviting her to stay. She quickly dressed and went to the living room. Dave was sitting in an arm chair, watching the morning news.

"Sleep well?" he asked, turning to her as she perched on the edge of the couch.

"Despite everything, yeah I did," she replied.

"Do you want any breakfast?"

"No thanks, I really should be going," she replied nervously.

"It's still quite early, stay and have some breakfast. You'll need it after how much you drank last night," the dark haired man said with a grin.

Wanda remembered their little drinking contest and their arm wrestling match and felt so embarrassed. "Oh god, I'm so sorry about last night. I'm not a raving alcoholic really."

"Don't worry about it, it was good to have some 'normal' time for once," Dave laughed.

Wanda thought he must have a very strange idea of what normal was, if he considered last night normal.

"So, breakfast," he suggested.

"Go on then, some toast and a coffee would be great thanks."

Dave grabbed the phone and called through the order for room service. Wanda yawned, thinking she really didn't know how she'd face work today. The room service arrived quickly even thought Dave had ordered a huge breakfast and large orange juice for himself. Wanda barely touched her toast but almost downed the coffee in one, desperately longing for another.

"Not too hungry, huh?" Dave asked.

"Not really. To be honest, I'd love to go back to bed," replied the black haired woman.

"You're very welcome to. I'm meeting Hunter in the gym soon, but you can stay here if you'd like. I won't be too long."

Wanda was very tempted by Dave's offer but felt too awkward around him to take him up on it.

"Thanks, but I really must get things sorted out."

"All right, but I'll give you my mobile number, in case you need anything."

Wanda was amazed--letting her stay last night was one thing, but giving her his mobile number. He hardly knew her.

"Thanks," she said, keying the digits into her phone.

"Anyway, I'm sorry to seem rude, but I really better be getting ready and go. Hunter will go mad if I keep him waiting."

"Yeah, I should be making tracks too. I've got to collect Poochie and speak with the fire department."

Wanda gathered her things and went to leave but Dave stopped her as she reached the door.

"Last night was good, we'll have to do it again soon, and remember if you need anything, you've got my number."

"Thanks… for everything. Yeah, we'll definitely have to do it again, sugah," she replied, planting a kiss on his cheek before leaving.

Dave was dumb struck--what was it about this crazy Southern gal that had him so entranced? When she called him 'sugah', it made him want to go insane. He was so tempted to call Hunter and cancel going to the gym so he could go after her.

Wanda ordered a cab in the hotel lobby and, as she waited for it, hoped Dave would be heading for the gym soon so that she could see him again. Part of her wanted to forget everything else and stop here. She got into the cab, feeling dejected, lost deep in thoughts about Dave.


	7. Shocking news and devious plots

**Author's notes: **Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter posted, I've been really busy recently then when I finally got round to writing, the evaluation version of the word processor I was using expired. Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad everyone's enjoying it. Just to let you all know though, the new Harry Potter book is released soon, so I'll be busy reading that for a while. However I do plan to continue this story, so please bare with me. Thanks.

**BatistaRKO, **thanks for the review, glad you like it and I'll try to update faster next time.

**Disco Inferno1**I'm glad the re-write went so well and I'm glad you liked it. Thanks so much for all your help, especially with chapter 6. Glad you approve of the reason for Wanda stopping at Batista's, I really wanted them to have some 'alone' time together and get to know each other and I think that worked well. Yeah, I was tempted to kill off 'Poochie' but when it came to it, I just couldn't! I'm pleased you liked the penthouse description, I remember my mom buying loads of cartoon fish bathroom decorations, like a loo seat, so that's what gave me the idea. Glad I've got you interested in the fire, there's still along way to go with that and obviously Batista and Wanda getting closer.

**shady-angel821, **thanks for the review.

**Chapter Seven: **Shocking news and devious plots.

Waiting in the hotel lobby the harsh realization that she had to be at work in an hour hit Wanda. She grabbed her phone and called Mr.Rodriguez.

"Hi, it's Wanda. I'm really sorry but I'm not going to be able to make it into work today... My apartment burned down last night... Yeah, I'm fine. Luckily I was out at the time and stayed with a friend last night... Yeah, I've got to speak with the fire department today. I'll call you again later to let you know if I'll be in tomorrow... Thanks so much for being so understanding... You, too. Bye," then she hung up. Wanda was so relieved Mr.Rodriguez had been so understanding; losing her job was the last thing she needed. She really did owe him a lot. Wanda then remembered that she hadn't seen or heard from Emily since their fight at the bar last night and she reached for her phone again.

"Emily..? Thank god, where have you been..? Where have I been..? I really don't think it matters where I've been. Did you know our apartment burned down last night..? Yes, Poochie is fine but he's with Mrs.Walker. I've got to go to the fire department soon, but I'll see you later. Bye

Wanda hung up, with the knowledge that Emily had stayed with Randy Orton last night. Wanda could hardly believe Emily's cheek,--she showed no concern over the apartment burning down, didn't really care how Wanda was and was more interested in any possible gossip, showed no guilt in staying with Randy Orton and did not even bother to call her. Wanda was annoyed at how irresponsible Emily was at times. At her age, Wanda was studying hard and doing dead end jobs just to support herself whilst Emily didn't really care about university and still had everything handed to her on a silver platter from her parents.

She was glad to arrive at her apartment and not have to think about Emily any longer. The apartment looked just as bad from the outside as it had from the inside last night--the windows were broken and boarded up and black smoke and ash lined them. As she walked up the stairs and neared her door, the smell of smoke still lingered. The yellow fire line tape she'd broken through last night still lay hanging, leaving her apartment open for not just her but anyone. On entering the apartment, Wanda was greeted by the harsh reality of the devastating effects of the fire. The kitchen was covered in ash, the door had almost burnt away and the carpet was ruined. The rest of the apartment was the same, humps of blacked furnishings lying everywhere. The effects of the fire and the fact no one else's apartments had been affected worried Wanda a little. Some thing seemed not quite right and her mind went back to the phone message on her machine last night before she left for the bar. Wanda shuddered, thinking 'no, that couldn't be possible.' Her bedroom was the worst. Absolutely nothing was recognizable, it was all just ash. Her lap top was totally destroyed but luckily, though, most things were backed up on disk and her P.C at work. Sadly, she wasn't so lucky with her photo albums--nothing but melted clumps of plastic remained of her last 30 years of memories. Suddenly her mobile phone rang and Wanda answered the call from an unknown number a little cautiously.

"Hello, Wanda Ravenmoon speaking."

"Hello Ms.Ravenmoon, this is Sergeant Phillips of the New Orleans police department. We spoke briefly last night. I was wondering if you'd be able to come down to the station so we could have a little chat with you about the fire."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be about half an hour. Is that alright?"

Agreeing that that would be no problem, Sergeant Phillips hung up. Wanda then made her way down stairs to Mrs.Walker's apartment.

"Hello, dear. Have the police department been in touch yet?" Mrs.Walker asked.

"Yeah, I've got to go down there in half an hour."

"Have they got any idea what might have caused it?"

"I don't think so. They just wanted me to come to the station as soon as possible. I'll probably be staying in a hotel whilst the apartment is refurbished. Is it alright for you to keep Poochie until then? I'll pay you for the trouble," added Wanda.

"Of course, it is ,dear. He's a lovely little dog," replied the greying woman.

"Thank you. Is it alright if I go in and see him?"

"Yes, dear, go straight ahead, he's just in the living room. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

Wanda walked through to the living room and, as soon as Poochie saw her, he ran over wagging his tail and barking around Wanda's legs for her to pick him up. She bent down and scooped the mass of white fur into her arms.

"Hello sweetie," she cooed, "are you alright? Is Mrs.Walker looking after you?"

The little dog yapped as if to say 'yes.'

"I'm not abandoning you, darling, but you've got to stay here for a little while. But don't worry, it'll be like a holiday and I'll come and visit you every day," Wanda cooed.

Poochie yapped again as if he'd understood what Wanda had told him. She kissed his wet black nose and put him back down on the floor. He ran around her feet for a few seconds and then returned to his place on the couch. Wanda then made her way to the front door.

"Thank you for taking care of him, it means a lot to me. Please take this," Wanda told Mrs.Walker as she handed her $50.

"No, no, keep your money, dear. It's no trouble really," replied Mrs.Walker at Wanda's offer of money.

"No, I insist, it's the least I can do to say thank you."

Mrs.Walker took the money and then Wanda made her goodbye and left. She was soon in a cab and on her way to the police department. When Wanda arrived, she asked at the main desk to see Sergeant Phillips. The receptionist informed her that Sergeant Phillips was expecting her and to take a seat as he'd be out in a few minutes. Within two minutes, the sergeant emerged from a little room to the side of the reception. He greeted Wanda then asked her to follow him into the room he'd just came from. She entered the room to see a small table set in the middle with two chairs facing another opposite. An old blonde haired man, in a navy suit with a fire department badge on, sat in one of the two chairs that were placed together. On the other chair hung a cream jacket that matched the trousers Sergeant Phillips was wearing. The table had two paper cups and a pile of papers on it. Wanda sat down in the third chair, opposite that of the policeman and the unknown blonde haired man. Sergeant Phillips took his seat and took a sip from the paper cup in front of him then spoke.

"Good morning Ms.Ravenmoon, this is Sergeant Grey of the New Orleans fire department. He'll be conducting the interview with me this morning," the balding policeman informed her.

"Good morning, ma'am," said Sergeant Grey .

"Morning," Wanda replied to both of them.

"We'd like to have a little chat with you about the fire that broke out in your apartment yesterday evening. Our teams have been looking into the possible causes of the fire and we have reasons to believe it may have been arson."

"What? You think someone may have done this purposely? You don't think it was me, do you? I wasn't in at the time the fire started and only found out about it when I returned home and found a fire truck outside," Wanda protested.

"No, we have no reason to believe the culprit was you, but it would be helpful to our enquiries if you could give us details of your whereabouts and movements yesterday," Sergeant Phillips replied, looking directly at her, without blinking.

"Errrm…. I went to work as normal until lunch time, went home for a few hours and changed clothes. At home, I saw my cousin Emily, who also lives there, then I went and collected my boss' son Mikhile and we went out for dinner. After that, we returned home to collect Emily and we all went to the WWE show 'Raw', which lasted about four hours. After that, we met with the WWE CEO Vince McMahon and he introduced us to some of the wrestlers. We were there for about two and a half hours. Myself and Emily were than invited to go to a bar with a few of the wrestlers, so we took Mikhile home, returned home to change, then headed for the bar. It's called Bar Phoenix; it's a few miles from where I live. Here's the card with its details on it," Wanda explained and handed Sergeant Phillips the card Stephanie McMahon had given her.

"Whilst at the bar, me and Emily had an argument and Emily left. I found out today that Emily didn't return home after our argument but stayed at the Prytania Park hotel. When the bar closed, I returned home. Upon discovering there had been a fire, I spoke briefly with you and my neighbour, Mrs.Walker, before staying at the Prytania Park hotel myself.

"O.k., and you'll be able to give me names and contact details for everyone to verify this information?" Sergeant Phillips asked.

"Yeah, of course."

Wanda could see that the policeman had written down the names of people and places she'd just mentioned.

"And did you make any phone calls during the course of yesterday?"

"I made a lot of business contacts and one to Emily just before I left work," the black haired woman replied.

"And I'll be able to verify all this with your boss?"

"Yes, they should all be listed on the next phone bill from work. I'm sure Mr.Rodriguez will be happy for you to take a look at it."

"Did you receive any phone calls other than work ones?"

"No, but when I returned home from the WWE event, before we left for the bar, I had a phone message on the answering machine."

"Who was the message from?" questioned the greying officer.

"My ex, Max."

"And what did he say on the message?"

"I don't know, I didn't listen to it all. He said 'Wanda, are you home?' and then I deleted it"

"Why was that?" queried Sergeant Grey.

"I didn't care what he had to say."

"Does Max call you often, Miss Ravenmoon?" Sergeant Phillips asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I haven't seen or heard from him for about 6 or 7 months."

"Okay, has anything out of the ordinary happened to you recently? You know, like the phone call, but there's no one there when you answer, that type of thing."

"Errrm, yeah, actually there's been a few things, but I just put it down to over tiredness and forget about them. It's nothing really."

"No, go on," prompted Sergeant Grey.

"Well on Saturday afternoon, during my usual walk in the park with my dog, I could have sworn I heard rustling in the bushes and someone following me, but when I looked round there was on one there. When I returned home, the phone rang a couple of times, but every time I answered the line was dead. "

"Right, and when you returned home yesterday, was there anything missing from your apartment?"

"When I popped home after the WWE event to get changed to go to the bar, everything seemed in order, but I wasn't there that long really. When I returned home and discovered the fire, I only went in to look for my dog, although everything did seem too burnt to tell."

"And have you been home since?"

"Yes, I went home for about half an hour this morning to see what was left and if my computer was ok, but everything was too burnt and ruined to tell if there was anything missing."

"Right, that's fine, and you say you haven't heard from Max for about 6 or 7 months? Is that right?" asked Sergeant Phillips, double checking the information he'd just written down.

"Errrm yeah, why?"

"Well after Mrs.Walker called the fire department and we questioned her, she said she saw someone that she described as being an ex-boyfriend of yours named Max, hanging around the apartments at about 12.20 that night."

Wanda went pale. The thought of Max hanging around her apartment creeped her out a little, but then she remembered something.

"Oh yeah, I thought you should also know that Max never gave back his spare key when we broke up."

"Right, that's something we'll have to look into and I suggest you get you locks changed."

"Could Max be a suspect then?" Wanda asked, feeling very worried.

"Possibly, there are the facts that Mrs.Walker thought she was him around the apartments at about 12.30am and our team believe the fire may have started at about 1am. He still supposedly has a spare key to your apartment and, when the fire team arrived, there was no sign of a break in."

Wanda felt her throat tighten. The thought of Max being involved sent chills through her.

"Oh, Jesus, he can't have done some thing like that, we haven't spoken for months," exclaimed Wanda, mostly to reassure herself.

"It's nothing to worry about yet, Ms Ravenmoon. Our team is still checking to see if there were traces of any unnatural substances in the apartment. The fire still might have been caused by something simple like a pair of straightening irons left on. But we will be speaking with Max during our investigations. Do you have a contact number where we can reach him?" Sergeant Grey added.

"Errrm, yeah, I have his mobile number, but I don't know if it'll be any good to you. He may have changed it since we last spoke."

"We'll let you know as soon as we find out anything else," Sergeant Phillips said, ending the interview.

"Thanks," Wanda replied, not feeling anymore reassured. Then she left the police department.

Wanda jumped into a cab, feeling very shaken. The mere thought of Max's possible involvement in the fire made her head spin. Trying to calm herself down, she directed the driver to the Prytania Park hotel, where she was meeting Emily. Wanda then called Mr.Rodriguez to let him know how the meeting with Sergeant Phillips had gone, although she left out the details about Max. Mr.Rodriguez gave Wanda the remainder of the week off to sort out her insurance and find some where to stay during the refurbishment of her apartment, which she was very grateful for. Despite the fact she had nowhere to live and the possibility that her ex-boyfriend caused this situation, Wanda was very happy with her job. Mr.Rodriguez had told her the WWE deal had gone through with no problems and that, when she returned, she'd be doing the majority of the work for it and dealing directly with the WWE wrestlers and workers. This news was much to Wanda's delight, as it meant she'd be earning a lot more, would be moving up in the company and she might also run into Dave Batista again. The latter of which she really hoped for. Wanda arrived at the Prytania Park hotel and went to the reception desk to ask for the room number that Emily Rose was staying in. The receptionist informed her that Miss Rose had left a message for her to meet her by the pool. Wanda headed to the pool area to be greeted by the sight of Emily dressed in nothing but a skimpy bikini.

"Hey, how did it go with the fire department ? Do they have any idea what might have caused it?"

"Not really. They think it might have been a simple accident caused by some straightening irons left on, but they need to look into it more," Wanda lied, not wanting to disclose the details about Max, as Emily had never liked him and had always disapproved of their relationship.

"Ah, right, so it's probably just a bad accident?"

"Yeah, something like that. So what are we going to do? Shall we get a double room whilst we wait for the apartment to be refurbished?"

"Well actually, there's something I wanted to tell you, I've decided to chuck University in and go on the road with Randy," Emily proclaimed, with a smile like the Cheshire cat's.

"You're doing what?" Wanda asked, totally stunned by this news.

"Well I'm totally bored with Uni and Randy and I have a really good connection. So when I told him how bored I was with my life, he suggested I joined him on the road."

"And what are you going to do for work?"

"Randy said he earns enough money for it to be no problem."

"You stupid, irresponsible cow! You're just going to throw away your whole education for a man you've known all of five minutes and sponge off him like you haven't got a care in the world!" Wanda shouted, filled with annoyance over Emily's behaviour ever since she'd come to New Orleans and the worry of the fire. She almost felt as though she could break down.

"Well, you almost did the very same thing with that loser Max, so what's the problem.?"

"The situation with Max was completely different. Besides he's ancient history and **has nothing to do with this at all **!" Wanda bellowed, the mention of Max's name had sent her into a rage.

"Whatever, you just can't handle the fact someone likes me and not you," Emily retorted.

"Grow up for god's sake. You do know he'll get bored of you in a few weeks and dump you for some other bimbo. Then what will you do? Because I won't let you come crawling back to me for help."

"Fine, be like that, see if I care. Me and Randy have an amazing connection and I know we were meant to be, even if you don't.

You can stay here with your non existent social life, microwave dinners for one and little dog, like some sad old woman. I'm going to enjoy my life!" Emily shouted back, before walking off without even looking back.

This was the last time Wanda would hear from Emily for quite some time. Her comments had left Wanda feeling jaded and depressed. It troubled her that Emily may be right about her life. Suddenly, the joy from the news about the WWE deal had left her and Wanda was totally alone. She headed for the hotel bar, no longer wanting to think about the facts that her ex-boyfriend may have burned down her apartment, or about her selfish spiteful little cousin, or that she didn't have much in her life because she'd worked so hard on her career. Wanda was on her fourth neat shot of Jack Daniel's when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking around she saw Dave Batista standing before her, dressed in cream cargo pants and a tight fitting black t-shirt.

"Hi Wanda, what are you doing here? Do you fancy some company?" he asked.

To be continued…..


	8. First kisses and life changes

**Author's notes: **Right I'm back now after my little Harry Potter break. I'll be trying to update as often as possible now, but am experiencing a bit of writer's block at the moment, so if I am a little slow in updating please bear with me. I really appreciate all the comments and reviews, so thank you and I'm glad you're all enjoying it.

**Chapter eight: First kisses and life changes.**

Wanda was totally stunned to see Batista. Knowing the wrestlers were moving on to a new town, she expected that he'd have already left. Nevertheless, she was very pleased to see him again, as they'd had such a good time the previous night.

"Errrm, yeah join me if you wanna, but I'm not really in the best of moods," she answered him.

"How come? Bad news at the fire department?" Batista inquired, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, they think the fire may have been deliberate and me and Emily have just had a huge row--she's leaving." Wanda tried to focus more on the argument with Emily as she didn't want to speak about Max.

"She's leaving? What happened? Was the argument really that bad?"

"Well, she told me how she's decided to leave University and go on the road with Randy . I was really angry with her 'cos she's so irresponsible, so I laid into her. She got annoyed about it and started to be really offensive about my personal life, then left," she informed Batista with a raised eyebrow.

"So she's really going to take off with Randy then? What are you going to do? I know which town the next show is in, so you could go after her. I'll come with you if you want and have a word with Randy."

"Thanks but I think I'll leave her to it. I'll call her parents and let them know what she's doing, but to be honest I really can't be bothered with her. She's not my responsibility. Anyway, how come you're still in town? I'd have thought you'd have left already."

"Nah, I was due some time off, so I decided to stay in New Orleans. My sister lives not far from here and she's due to give birth soon, so I decided to stick around," smiled the dark-haired man.

Wanda smiled--she was so glad Batista was still going to be in town, even if it was only for a few weeks.

"That's great, so when is she due? Does she know the baby's sex yet?"

"She's due in about 3 weeks, but she doesn't know its sex yet. She wants it to be a surprise."

"Ah, right, so are you excited about becoming an uncle?"

"Yeah, totally, me and Marie are really close and I adore children, so it's going to be great. Have you got any siblings?" Batista continued, prying for more information about her.

"Nah, it's only me. My mom had some problems conceiving me and, after I was born, the doctors told her she wouldn't be able to have any more kids. I'm thankful though. If Emily is anything to go by, having a sister would be hell," she laughed.

"So, when can you move back into your apartment?"

"I'm not totally sure. I think the police department still need some time in there and then it's got to be totally refurbished. So I guess I'm going to be sticking around here for a while."

"Well, at least, you'll have me to keep you company," Dave replied with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, if you can put up with me looking like a tramp. All my clothes were ruined in the fire," Wanda laughed. After four neat drinks, every thing was starting to seem a little better.

"Well, do you want to come shopping with me at the weekend? I wanted to get some things for Marie and the baby and you could show me the sights."

"Yeah, that'd be fun. I could do with something to take my mind off all this stress."

"I bet. So, why does the fire department think the fire might have been deliberate?" he asked, his tone sounding serious again.

"Errrm, I'm not sure really. They just said a neighbour spotted someone hanging around at about the same time they think the fire started," Wanda remarked, trying to downplay the situation to avoid awkward questions.

"Ahh, right. So you're still pretty much in the dark then?" he replied, trying to move off the subject as he'd noticed Wanda's unease over it.

"Yeah, pretty much. So what things are you getting for Marie and the baby?"

"Pretty much everything. Marie's been quite unwell with the pregnancy, so she hasn't got anything yet. Her husband is with the army, and wont be back until a month after the baby is due, so I'm all she's got. I've got a great big list of things I need to get for her, like a crib, clothes, a wash basin, that sort of stuff."

"You're going to be pretty busy then this weekend? Are you sure I won't be in your way?" she questioned, hoping that he'd reassure her that he'd like her to come along.

"Oh god no! I'd be glad of the company, plus you've already said you'd show me the sights. Whether you look like a tramp or not!" he laughed, hoping that Wanda wasn't secretly trying to get out of their shopping trip.

"Well, it's a date then and I'll even buy you dinner--to repay your kindness last night," she smiled.

"Great, a day with a good looking woman and a free meal. What more could a guy want?" Dave smiled, proudly sticking out his chest.

The pair moved over to a small table by the window with fresh new drinks. The view was amazing as it overlooked the river and there was a gentle breeze coming through the open window. The stresses of half an hour ago had seemed to pass Wanda by. Her thoughts were no longer on Emily or the fire but on the gorgeous man sitting next to her and their planned shopping trip. Dave also seemed in a world of his own, just quietly listening to the breeze and babbling river. Five minutes passed whilst neither spoke and they just took in the atmosphere. Dave's arm subtly slipped round Wanda's shoulder and she gave a small sigh at the thought that, to everyone else, they looked like a happy couple.

"So, what have you got planned whilst you're stopping here?" Dave asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm not totally sure. Obviously, I'll have to go back to work soon, I can't really take any more time off. But apart from that, I'm at a bit of a loss what to do now Emily has gone. Ohhh, I forgot to tell you--today hasn't been all bad. When I rang my boss to let him know what had happened with the fire department, he told me that I'll be doing all the work for the films with the WWE and that I'll be dealing directly with the wrestlers and workers. I'm so pleased, I've been waiting for years to do something this big," she grinned.

"Wow, that's fantastic! I'm so pleased for you, congratulations. It's a shame I've got some time off 'cause I could have looked after you. But you're going to have a great time working with everyone. They're a great bunch."

"I'm sure they are, even if Hunter's beard is a little scary."

They both laughed whilst Dave mimicked Hunter. He pranced about with his chest stuck out, pretending to flick long hair. Wanda went to get them both another drink and, when she did, the waitress at the bar commented that Wanda had a very good looking boyfriend. She dared not correct her otherwise in case the attractive blonde, with rather large breasts, got any ideas. As Wanda returned to the table, Dave gave her a peck on the lips, and, much to Wanda's amusement, she saw the blonde waitress giving her the evil eye. Wanda felt rather smug with herself. She had issues in high school with blonde bimbo cheerleader-types and this was like sticking 2 fingers up at all those bitches from school. The pair continued chatting about everything from their very different childhoods to best holidays they'd had. All the while, the buxom blonde waitress prowled backwards and forwards, pouting and glaring at Wanda.

"Ha, have you seen that waitress that keeps looking over at us? I think she's a little jealous," Dave remarked.

"Yeah, but she is very pretty, don't you think?"

"She's nothing special. I see women like her every day at work. I like women with a bit of fire in them," smiled the dark haired man, looking into Wanda's deep brown eyes.

Wanda desperately wanted to kiss him now but was too scared after their near miss due to the fire. Taking her completely by surprise, Dave leaned across and slowly but very passionately kissed Wanda. Her heart fluttered as his hand caressed her cheek and his tongue slipped into her mouth. It seemed like a blissful eternity before they stopped.

"Wow," Wanda sighed and Dave let out a small school boy like giggle.

With his arm still around her, Wanda leaned in against Dave's chest, feeling his deep breaths go in and out. They sat like this for the remainder of the night, stroking each other's hair or caressing the other's hand. When the now very annoyed looking waitress called out that the bar was closing, the pair rose hand in hand and made their way out. Wanda quickly stopped at the reception and booked herself into a room that was just 2 doors down from Dave's.

"So, how about joining me for a nightcap?" Dave asked.

Despite the lust in other parts of Wanda telling her to go for it, her heart said not to ruin a wonderful night by jumping in too fast . So, she declined, stating what she really needed was a goodnight's sleep. The pair parted with another long and passionate kiss outside Wanda's hotel room door.

"Night."

"Yeah, sweet dreams," replied Dave and he walked off to his apartment .

Wanda went into her room, undressed and settled into bed. Turning on the T.V., she found an old black and white film about an elderly couple who had been sweethearts since they were teenagers. She began to reminisce about her own life and, how at the age of 30, she hadn't yet been lucky enough to find true love. The harsh remarks from her row with Emily came flooding back to her. Trying to take her mind off her cousin's hurtful words, she thought about the evening with Dave. Her heart fluttered at the thought of Dave and the two of them falling in love, like the old couple from the film. She decided from now on she wasn't going to discard her own feelings due to fear and work commitments or jump blindly head first into something for the sake of it. Wanda was sick of the solitude of single life and thought she'd found someone very special in Dave Batista . Falling into a dreamy romantic sleep, she thought it was high time she made some changes in her life.

Morning came and all thoughts of Emily and Max had been firmly banished from Wanda's head. She ordered room service and was shocked when the busty blonde waitress from last night brought it to her room.

"Not with your boyfriend?" quizzed the blonde.

"Errrm no, and we aren't actually together yet, but fingers crossed, hey," smiled the black haired woman, no longer with a feeling of smugness about getting one over on something she knew she'd never be but with happiness of what could be.

Wanda called Emily's parents and informed them of Emily's plans, much to their shock. She reassured them that Emily would be fine on her own and that she'd check on Emily in a few days to make sure she was ok. She then called Mr.Rodriguez and informed him that she'd be back to work this Monday with all the preparation for the WWE films ready. She then decided she'd use the remainder of the week making some changes. She was sick to death of how she looked and always wearing black and felt she needed more in her life than just her job and her pet dog. She came to the decision that, however the WWE films went, she was going to get her novel finished and find a publisher.

After breakfast, Wanda bought a few new items of clothing ,all uncharacteristically not black, and spent the remainder of the day in the hotel spa relaxing, where she had her hair cut about 4 inches shorter and the white streaks at the front dyed black too. The following day, she visited Mrs.Walker and Poochie. Her small dog was very pleased to see her. She spent most of the morning there and helped Mrs.Walker with some household chores. In the afternoon on her way back to the hotel, she popped into work and picked up a few discs with information about the WWE films on and her novel on the other. After buying a new laptop computer, Wanda spent the afternoon preparing all she needed for the meeting with the WWE that Mr.Rodriguez had informed her would be on the afternoon of the day she returned to work. All of Friday was taken up by Wanda re-writing what she'd done of her novel and research for the remainder of it. On Friday night, there was a phone call to her hotel room. Not knowing who would know she was staying here, she hesitantly answered.

"Hey, Wanda, it's Dave. Just checking to see if we're still on for tomorrow ?"

"Hey, yeah, of course, we are. What time did you want to get going?"

"Is about half ten alright?"

"Yeah that's cool."

"So what have been up to? Haven't seen you around the hotel."

"Not much really, just working on things and writing my novel. Have you done anything interesting?"

"Nah, just been at the gym."

"Ahh right, working on those already huge muscles?"

"Ha, yeah something like that. Anyways I'm off to have a shower now, but I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow. Night, night."

"Yeah, good night and sweet dreams."

"You too."

With the arrangements made and Wanda happy with a new look, she retired to bed, very excited about the following day.

**To be continued….**


	9. Embarrassing assumptions

**Author's notes: **I'm not using wrestlers' real personal lives in this, as I find it really disrespectful (I hate the current Eddie/Ray feud for the same reason) so I'm not including the fact that Batista is married with 2 kids and I'm just making up my own back story for him.

Thanks for the reviews guys.

**Dia: **Yeah Wanda does have a lot more self-control than Emily does; I guess it's a maturity thing. And no doubt, she'll need it!

**Disco Inferno1: **I couldn't agree with you more, Batista kissing is good (I assume!). Glad you liked the part about Marie's husband. I guess you must have missed it, but I did include a little of Dave mocking Hunter, I had him pretending to flick long hair. Couldn't think of much else though, I guess it's because he's been off T.V. for so long that I've forgot how much I love to take the piss out of him!

**Chapter Nine: Embarrassing assumptions.**

Wanda woke early Saturday morning, full of excitement over what the day would hold. She ordered a large breakfast from room service, as she didn't know when they would stop for lunch. As she waited for her breakfast, Wanda took a shower and washed her newly cut hair. Breakfast arrived, but Wanda was too excited to eat much of it. She felt like a little kid on Christmas morning. After breakfast, Wanda dressed in some army green cargo pants and a new t-shirt she'd brought. The t-shirt was red, with a cartoon picture of a cat on and a logo saying 'Purrrfect!'. She styled her hair down and decided not to straighten it, leaving in the natural wave. Wanda's make-up caused her a few problems. She was so use to doing it in a gothic with heavy eye-liner and dark lipstick, but finally decided it looked a lot better more natural looking, with only a bit of eye-liner and a light pink lip-gloss. By 10 am, Wanda was completely ready and had to find something to occupy herself for half an hour, or she'd go insane with excitement and nerves. She flicked through the morning paper that had come with her breakfast, noticing an advert for a sale in a baby-storeat the local mall today. At 9:55, there was a loud knock on her hotel room door and Wanda leapt up enthusiastically, but she was despondent to find it was only the maid come to clean her room. Just as she was shutting the door, Dave's arm reached out and held it open.

"Morning, are you ready to head off or did you wanna grab some breakfast first?" he smiled.

"Nah, I'm good thanks, I've already eaten," Wanda replied, which was somewhat true.

"Ah, alright then, let's go find a cab. There should be a few outside. There's always some hanging about," Dave remarked, still holding the door open.

"Ok, give me two secs, I've just gotta grab my bag," she beamed.

They headed down the stairs to the hotel lobby and, as they did, Dave took hold of Wanda's hand and her heart fluttered. Once again, she noticed the softness of his hands and let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" Dave enquired.

"Ah, it's nothing really, I've just noticed you have really soft hands for a guy," she giggled.

Dave let out a loud booming laugh.

"I use moisturiser, otherwise my hands get really dry from the ropes," he replied, smiling.

They found a cab quickly and directed it to the mall. Wanda informed Dave about the advert for the sale at thebaby-store, she'd seen.

"That'll be a fantastic place to get everything Marie needs, I bet I can get it done all in one go. So is there anywhere in particular you wanted to go?"

"I'm not really sure. I'm kinda bored of wearing black all the time, so I wanted to look somewhere new."

"Really? I think it suits you and, besides it doesn't really matter what a person looks like. It's what's inside that counts," he replied, looking deeply into her eyes.

The cab soon reached the mall; they decided to do their clothes shopping first and get all of Marie's baby things at the end of their trip. Wanda stood looking somewhat perplexed at the map of the mall. She had no idea what kind of new clothes she wanted or where to get them.

"Jeez, this is confusing. I don't want to look so dark and depressed anymore, but have no idea where to start," the black-haired woman sighed.

"Well I think you've made a great start already. The new haircut looks really good on you and that t-shirt is so perky. The slogan has got it spot on," he teased, with a wink.

"Ha, yeah. It's so true I had to buy it," laughed Wanda, matter-of-factly.

"Well, how about starting on some new work clothes?" suggested Dave.

They headed to a general clothes store and went to the formal/ business wear section. Wanda scanned the suits but the majority of them were dark colours.

"Ahh, this is no good, everything is too dark." she sighed, in disappointment.

"Well at work I have to wear dark suits all the time, so what I usually do is wear a bright coloured shirt or tie. Surely women can do the same sort of thing," he suggested.

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Thanks, hon," she smiled affectionately.

Wanda picked out five suits in her size, varying between trousers and skirt suits; one was a deep plum colour, one was black with white pin stripes, one was navy blue, one was a chocolate brown and the last was just plain black. She then chose shirts to match them: a bright pink one for the plum suit, a lilac one for the pin stripe suit, an orange one for the chocolate suit, a sky blue one for the navy and a red one for the plain black suit. Wanda next picked out accessories in various colours to match the suits and shirts.

"Well, I'm done for work clothes. Is there anything you need?"

"Yeah, I want a few more casual things if I'm going to be here for a few weeks and something smart in case I go somewhere posh. I was thinking about this one for general day-to-day wear," he smiled, holding up a hideous Hawaiian shirt.

Wanda burst out laughing. "Are you being serious? That thing is disgusting."

"Yeah I was, I though it looked good." Dave replied, with a forlorn look.

"I'm sorry. It's just that it really wouldn't suit you and those shirts look better on beach-bums."

"Oh, alright then, well what do you think? I mean, if I pick something this bad for day-to-day wear, I really could do with some help."

Wanda browsed through the men's section, returning with some tight-fitting light blue jeans, a red sweatshirt, a pair of casual black pants, a short-sleeved light blue casual shirt and an informal dark chestnut suit.

"Here, try these. I think you'll look gorgeous in all of them," Wanda smiled, handing over the clothes.

Dave came out of the changing room and showed Wanda the various outfits she'd picked out. They all looked incredible on him, especially the tight-fitting blue jeans and red sweatshirt.

They next headed to the woman's casual section; this is where Wanda had a lot of difficulty deciding what she wanted. Everything she spotted was black, purple, lace or leather and not at all what she wanted. Dave pointed out a pink floral dress to which Wanda gave a look of detestation.

"Oh this is useless, I'm just going to have to look like I'm dressed for a funeral for the rest of my life," she whined.

Dave scooped her up in his arms, lifting her from her feet and kissed her forehead. "You always look fantastic, but more importantly you're a beautiful person and that's what I like about you," he said as he leant forwards and kissed her.

Landing back on her feet Wanda realized how childish she was being, here was a fantastic man, who obviously cared about her and wasn't shallow enough to care about looks alone.

"I'm sorry, it's just last night that busty waitress really wound me up and I got thinking about how I centre my life too much on work and wanted to change that and thought changing my image would help," she divulged.

"Don't be so silly. No one with a brain would look twice at that waitress. I spoke to her this morning and she's so shallow. You're a million times more beautiful than she is just because you're a real person. As for your work, you're fantastic at it and it means a lot to you, so why shouldn't it be a big part of your life. When you meet someone who truly loves you, they'll understand and respect that. That's one reason my ex-fiancé and me broke up. She just couldn't understand how important wrestling was to me," he revealed.

Wanda smiled, both at the knowledge that Dave didn't like the waitress and that he thought she was more beautiful, but also that he'd opened up to her and that they'd had similar experiences in their past relationships.

She continued to look for new clothes, but Dave's words had taken away the importance of a new image. She now just picked out anything she liked and thought suited her knowing that she'd be beautiful regardless of her clothes.

After they were all done with the clothes shopping, they stopped for a quick sandwich before heading for the baby-store holding the sale. The store was packed with blissful looking expectant parents. The sight brought back harsh memories that Wanda wished she could forget. Dave too looked a little bleak, despite the fact he was here shopping for things for a new niece or nephew. He took out a long list of items Marie needed and began to browse the store. Wanda stayed near the cash desk, uneasy at been surrounded by so many pregnant women. Soon he called out for her advice, unsure of which washbasin to buy. Wanda suggested the one with a joining shelf to hold all items needed for bathing a baby; like soap, washcloths and a diaper.

Helping Dave pick out things for Marie's new baby soon got the better of Wanda, and, before long, she was cooing over a pair of incredibly tiny boots. With in an hour, they'd managed to find everything on Marie's list, so they headed for the cash desk. Dave paid for all the items and gave the shop assistant the delivery address.

The assistant smiled and turned to Wanda, "You and your husband sure have brought a lot of things, so when's your baby due?"

Wanda blushed and stuttering replied, "Errrm he's not my…we're not…"

Dave smiled at the shop assistant and explained how all the things were for his sister.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," replied the assistant, looking very embarrassed with herself.

"It's no problem, it was an easy mistake to make," Dave and Wanda answered in unison.

The couple left the mall and headed back to the hotel.

"So, do you still want to join me for dinner later?" Wanda asked.

"You bet I do. How about we go back to our rooms, get changed and what ever, then meet back in the lobby about 7 ?" suggested Dave.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Is there any type of food you don't really like? So I know what type of restaurant to book a table for us at," Wanda asked.

"Not really, I like most styles of food to be honest," he replied with a smile.

"Ok then, I'll surprise you. So I'll meet you downstairs at 7 ?" asked the black-haired woman, kissing Dave's cheek.

"Yeah, I'll see you in a little while," he replied, returning the kiss to her lips slowly.

Wanda parted from Dave with a sigh of joy and they both headed for their respective rooms. Back in her hotel room, Wanda went over the day shopping, thinking about Dave's comments about the waitress and it not being important what a person looks like but what's in her heart. Wanda's mind focused on his comment about his failed past relationship, remembering what it was like to have someone you cared about using your work as a weapon against you. Wanda also remembered the incident in the baby-store, where the assistant had assumed they were a married couple expecting a child. The baby-store, all the happy looking parents and the assistant's assumption affected Wanda deeply as she remembered what could have been.

In his own room, Dave was also going over the day's events. He was surprised by Wanda's reaction to the waitress and her idea that she needed a new image. He thought she looked fantastic regardless and wished he could somehow tell her how he felt about her. The baby-store also stuck out in his mind, as he remembered having those same feelings all the expectant parents were going through and hated the fact someone he had loved used wrestling as a tool to blame him for what had happened.

In their corresponding rooms, both Wanda and Dave were going through the same feelings. Both had had serious relationships, which almost resulted in a baby and ended with work being blamed for the downfall of the relationship. Now they were both faced with someone they cared for, who understood the importance of their jobs and seemed to want the same thing from life. Both Wanda and Dave knew where this relationship was heading and that they were falling in love with the other. It was just whether they were willing to risk getting hurt in order to admit these feelings.


	10. Relationship revelations

**Author's notes:** Sorry it's taken me so long to update (again). I'm having a real bad time with writer's block, and am finding it hard to find inspiration for this story, but seeing Batista wrestle live recently has renewed my passion so I'm back with full force!

Thanks to all my reviewers, I really hope you continue reading even though it's been such a long time.

**Warning:** This chapter contains mild swearing and content of a sensitive nature.

**Disclaimer:** The views of characters presented within are not necessarily the views of the real actors or the author.

**Chapter Ten: Relationship revelations.**

Dressed in a jade green halter neck top, knee-length brown skirt and suede knee-high boots, Wanda made her way down to the hotel lobby. A smiling Dave Batista, dressed in terra cotta colored long-sleeved shirt and black pants, greeted her. As the couple met at the bottom of the staircase, Dave presented Wanda with white tulips.

"Evening sugah, no need to buy me flowers. Especially ones not in season," Wanda said, blushing and taking the bouquet from him.

"I wanted to get you something special though. So I went to a flowershop that imported them especially." Dave replied planting a kiss on her cheek.

Wanda blushed a little deeper, touched by the gesture.

"Thanks, that's so sweet," she replied, returning the kiss.

"So where are we heading for dinner?" Dave inquired.

"I've booked us a little table at the Italian restaurant about a block from here."

They took each other's hands and strolled outside to find a cab. At seven o'clock, the summer air was still as hot as it had been during the day, leaving a muggy feeling in the air. Within five minutes, they were in a cab and heading for 'Villa del Basilica Amore'. The small restaurant which was situated on the banks of the river had a quaint feeling to it. The waiter was the usual type one would find in an Italian restaurant, resembling Mario from the 'Super Mario brothers' film. He led them to their table situated next to a window over looking a beautiful flower garden. After ordering a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, they looked through the menu.

"Hummm, the grilled vegetable starter looks nice. What do you fancy?" asked Wanda.

"I think I'll have the Cocktail di Gamberi."

"Well it doesn't look as though I'll be stealing any of your meal. I don't eat meat, not even fish," she smiled.

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Yeah, that's the way my folks brought me up."

"Unusual for a southern girl, I thought you'd have grown up on Momma's home made casserole," Dave laughed.

"Yeah I did, just it was all vegetables and beans."

They continued to browse the menu for their main course. Wanda decided on the spinach and ricotta ravioli and Dave decided on the grilled Sole.

"So, did you have a good time today?" Wanda asked leaning over the table.

"Yeah, it was a blast. That woman in the baby store was a little weird though," commented Dave.

"Yeah," she agreed, blushing.

"It's not like every man and woman buying baby things are buying for them selves. At least she didn't ask any more awkward questions though."

Feeling uncomfortable about the conversation involving babies, Wanda started to pick at her newly painted nails. Dave noticed her sudden silence.

"Are you alright? I haven't said anything to upset you, have I?"

"No, no, it's just talking about children makes me feel a little weird," she replied, still not making eye contact. Not sure as to what else to say and feeling a little uncomfortable himself Dave changed the subject.

"So have you heard from Emily since your fight?"

"No, I called her parents and let them know what she'd done, but apart from that I've heard nothing. I do keep meaning to call her, but with being due back to work next week I've been too busy."

"Do you think she'll stay on the road with Randy?"

"I doubt it; she's not the type to stick at anything for too long. What about Randy? What type of guy is he?"

"To be honest, he's a bit of a ladies' man. I haven't seen him stick with one girl for more than a month."

"Well, no doubt she'll be knocking on my door in tears in a few weeks time, claiming it's my entire fault. She'll never realize she has to take responsibility of her own actions," Wanda dryly laughed.

"I wouldn't worry about it. She's an adult and she can take care of herself."

"I don't worry about it," she laughed again, her mood now lifting.

Their appetizers had just arrived, so the conversation ceased whilst they tucked in. After their plates were cleared, they ordered another bottle of wine and continued chatting.

"So when are you back on the road?"

"About a month, give or take. A lot of it depends on the booking. At the moment, I'm meant to be out injured from Triple H's hammer attack. No doubt I'll be thrown into a steel cage match with him when I return."

"A what? They're really going to put two fully grown wrestlers in a steel cage?

Dave raised an eyebrow and laughed. "It really isn't as bad as it sounds. Most of the shots are fake and when we need to bleed we just blade."

"You do what?" Wanda shrieked, her mouth open in horror.

Again Dave laughed. "God, you really are new to this, aren't you? That's not as bad as it sounds either, we just run a blade over our foreheads. It stings a little but looks really effective, especially if you're like Ric Flair. You just have to be careful not to let anyone in the crowd see the blade, as some wrestlers have. I'm surprised; I thought you'd be use to all this kind of stuff working in the movie business."

"Nah, our stuff is totally fake. Prosthetic cuts, blood capsules, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, we use to use that kind of thing, but it looked too fake," Dave grinned.

Again the conversation more or less ceased as their main course arrived. Dave commented that Wanda's meal looked as though it had far too much cheese in, to which Wanda replied, 'You can never have too much cheese.' With the meal now finished, and neither wanting desert due to being too full, another bottle of wine was ordered and the conversation continued.

"How is Stephanie by the way? She seemed a little distracted when we were at the bar," inquired Wanda.

"As far as I know she's good, but I haven't seen her or Hunter since they went back on the road."

"Oh right. It was a good night though. Well have to do it again; I really liked Stephanie and Hunter."

"Yeah, they're a nice couple. Hunter's been a close friend since I joined the WWE, got me through some hard times."

"I'm so nervous about this Monday; I start the WWE film work."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me. Don't worry though, you'll be great. Do you know who you'll be working with?"

"No idea, I'll find out all the details Monday."

With the bill paid and Mario's look-alike hinting that he wanted the table, the couple made their way back to the hotel.

"Fancy coming up for another drink? " Dave suggested.

"Yeah, why not. The night's still young," Wanda sassily smiled.

Dave's room was just how Wanda remembered it, warm and cosy looking. They snuggled on the couch together with a small bottle of Bourbon.

"You look great in that top by the way. The color really goes with your eyes," complimented Dave.

"Thanks," the hazel-eyed woman purred.

"Oh look at this," Dave piped up as if suddenly remembering something, pulling out a picture from his wallet. "It's a scan of Marie's baby."

Wanda took the picture of the tiny fetus, which was soon to become Dave's niece or nephew. Maybe it was the three bottles of wine she'd consumed or the physical reminder in front of her, but suddenly Wanda's eyes filled with tears. She handed the sonogram picture back with out comment.

"Are you sure you're alright? It's just this is the second time I've mentioned babies tonight and you've gone all quiet," queried Dave.

Feeling herself on the verge of crying Wanda tried to answer, but the moment had overtaken her and suddenly she was sobbing at the little memento of something she'd once destroyed.

"It's seeing that scan, well it reminded me of something terrible I once did," she sobbed.

"You mean, you, you were once pregnant?"

"Uh huh," Wanda nodded.

All the color drained from Dave's face. "I, I lost a baby once too," he stuttered.

"But I didn't lose mine, I got rid of it."

The tears were now streaking down Wanda's face as they both took in the information the other had revealed. Nothing was said for a few minutes, and then Wanda spoke.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to say sorry, you've done nothing wrong."

"But you lost a child and I willfully got rid of mine," Wanda cried.

"I'm sure you had your reasons."

Wanda then explained how she'd gotten pregnant years earlier, but her and her then boyfriend decided they weren't ready for children yet and wanted to wait until they had their work lives sorted out.

"Well it's better than keeping the baby and hurting it because you weren't ready and resented it," Dave comforted.

"It's the reason Max and I broke up. A few months later, we had a huge argument and he blamed everything on me, saying I killed our baby because I only cared about my career."

Dave's face took a look of pure hatred. "The bastard! How could he say that, when you both decided it was for the best?"

Wanda just nodded, her face totally blank and blotchy with tears.

Pulling her into a tight hug, Dave explained how his ex-girl friend had miscarried their child and blamed his wrestling schedule for it.

"Oh my god, that's horrible. How can something like that be anyone's fault?"

Dave just nodded.

Nothing was said for sometime as both were absorbed in their own thoughts.

"I think everything happens for a reason and I guess it wasn't either of our times to have children," Dave eventually said.

"I suppose so. I just still can't help feeling like a monster sometimes," sighed Wanda.

"You're not at all. Like I said, it's better than having a child and ending up hurting it."

"I, I think I should probably go now," suggested Wanda.

"No way, I don't want you to be alone after telling me what you have."

Again, Dave pulled Wanda into a tight hug, this time kissing her softly on the lips. Being in his arms made Wanda feel safe and like nothing bad would ever happen again. They sat silently caressing each other, as the fire burnt out and Wanda fell asleep. Dave remained seated, Wanda's dozing head resting on his chest. Eventually he carried the sleeping ebony haired woman to his bedroom. Laying there on the plump pillows she looked the picture of perfect loveliness. After the night's revelations, Dave couldn't bear to leave Wanda. Gentilly he climbed into bed next to her, holding her close to him.


End file.
